Fang's and Friends
by TadStrange24
Summary: Tails is a vampire and has been hiding it from everyone in Knothole, when his secret is revealed can he keep his friends, or will he be forced to leave. New friends and enemies are revealed as bonds of friendship are tested. Finished Please read/review
1. Chapter 1

I do not own anything Sega related, all characters are trademarks of sega and belong to them.

Enjoy chapter 1 and please review.

* * *

He sat and stared at the sky, orange fur waving in the wind in a wave like pattern as his eyes took in the clouds, he let out a sigh, no one at Knothole knew, and that was the way he preferred it, but it still got lonely for the twin tailed kitsune from time to time. They had found him in a raided town, destroyed by Robotnik and without anyone left alive, he had been smart and played the part of devastated child rather well. They took him to Knothole soon after where he stayed, always careful with his words and trying hard to play his part, in truth he was no more a child then Robotnik, in fact he predated Robotnik by over a century. Vampires in Mobian society were your routine boogeymen, snatching children, murdering the innocent and devouring their blood so as to empower their own wicked deeds, monstrosities that lurked in the night waiting for you to let your guard down for a single instant. This was the story most Mobian's were told or grew up with, on more than one night Sally had read Tail's these stories and though on the outside he feigned fright he only felt sad on the inside. Miles Prower never truly existed, the name had come to him in a panic when asked by his "Rescuer" what his name was, a speed sign stood nearby so he spat out Miles per hour so quickly it was mistook for Miles Prower.

Tails chuckled at the memory, he had been using an alias at the time before the town was raided but the shock of seeing them all die and then having someone burst in seconds later had crippled his proper thinking. In reality Tails thought being a vampire wasn't so bad, the myths about them were almost entirely false, though he always felt a slight sting in sunlight it was easily negligible so long as he fed on time, he didn't need to breathe or eat but he knew it would have been more than a little suspicious if he stopped those activities. The hunger was well and away the worst part, he always felt it, when someone would get to close, and their scent would fill his nose he could feel the fangs slide out just the smallest of millimeters and his mouth begin to water, but he always fought it. He had always since his turning been a homeless wanderer, a freak, a monster, but he had always been alone, Sonic and the rest of the Freedom Fighters had given him what he had hungered for more than blood, a home. He knew one day they would notice he hadn't aged and he would leave; by force or choice and that thought always made him hurt, always made him so guilty and ashamed of what he was. Tails got up and shook his head, he didn't want to fall into his usual depression trap and instead decided to prep for tonight, he hadn't fed in weeks and he knew if he didn't soon, the changes would become noticeable and he might hurt someone, and for Sonic and the rest of the freedom fighters sakes he would never allow that to happen.

He began his walk to the stump he visited about once a month, if not for what he buried there, he shuddered to think of it as he made his way. "Yo Tails buddy what are you doing so far from knothole, its dangerous out here, you know that?" He had appeared in a burst of leaves, the first time he had done it Tails instincts had his claws fully extend and almost leaped at him before he realized who it was, this time however he had grown use to it and merely jumped backwards before replying. "Well, uh, I wanted to go exploring, yeah, Knothole was slow so I thought I'd go explore the forest a little." He gave a sheepish grin and rubbed the back of his head, the move that always got his stories completely believable, making a reference to the slow beat of life he knew would get sympathy from him. Sonic chuckled a little before saying "Yeah, yeah I get it, but Sal would have my hide if I let you wander so come on." Tails frowned for a fraction of a second, he would need to dig up his kit, clean it, and use it all in one night, he knew he could but it was a pain and the last time he had done it he had bumped into a searching swat-bot, luckily with no one around he had torn it in half in a few seconds, but still it was unnerving he had been so occupied he hadn't heard it. He returned the grin to his face "Ok Sonic, wanna race" he knew he would never beet the Hedgehog, even if he went full tilt his vampire speed wouldn't be enough, but he loved racing him, one so close he considered him family, despite how many times he had tried to tell himself otherwise citing many logical reasons, he still thought of Sonic as a brother. "Sure lil bro, on your mark. Get set. GO!" Tails took off at his normal speed, about half of what he was capable of, but he always had to hold back, no one could no, still the annoying part was afterwards pretending to huff when you don't even need to breathe, he was always certain Sonic one day would notice the fact that he didn't sweat, If not for his thick fur it probably would have been long ago. He finished his act in sight of Knothole and walked through the archway after Sonic had patted him on the back and said he was getting faster, Tails smiled, both inside and out at that, he really did think of him as a brother.

Walking down the road in knothole he still got the confused look on his twin tails, he had had that look his entire life, from confusion to disgust, but always a look, he found his tails useful, and in fact felt overly positive about them, they were in his mind a distinguishing characteristic about him not related with his condition. He saw Bunny Rabot hauling a large piece of scrap metal and found himself running up to her. "Hi aunt Bunny, do you need a hand?" She gave the usual smile and he felt his heart warm, even if it was cold and unmoving he could still feel some measure of warmth from his surrogate family, he cared for them all, but always knew just what might happen one day should they discover his secret. "Aw thangs suga fox, but I got this, Heard suga rote was looking for ya, why don't you go over and see him?" Tails smiled and dashed away in the direction of Rotors workshop, Tails was mechanically brilliant, Rotor knew he learned fast and had taught him what he knew, but in reality Tails had simply perfected his craft over the years, still, there was always more to learn and learning made him feel alive.

He walked into the small lab and instantly saw Rotor fiddling with some device on his workbench. "Hi Rotor, Bunny said you wanted to see me about something?" Rotor turned a forced smile on his face. "Uhm Tails, well I have some news and I don't think you're going to like it" he tried to grin but only ended up looking more nervous as he continued. "Well on the last raid to Robotropolis the gang found an abandoned hospital and brought back a bunch of medical equipment, you see we need to do a check up to make sure everyone's healthy and were finally able to do it, the problem is to know if your healthy we need to take a blood sample." Rotor had dreaded telling his little friend this, he may have been a mechanical genius but as far as he knew he was still a kid, and kids hated needles, the look on Tail's face however was even worse than Rotor had expected. Thoughts flew into the foxes mind, how to trick the test, he would just use some of the blood he gathered and pass it off as his own he thought, no, that couldn't work someone would take the blood from him and then his secret would be in the open. He needed a way around it, and despite his impressive mind, he drew a complete blank. Rotor spoke up again completely oblivious "It really doesn't hurt you know, and afterword's I'm sure Sonic well bring you a chilidog, it won't be so bad, I promise." Tails was in a panic, he was screwed, unless, he dreaded the thought, what if he told Rotor, would he help him hide, or would it only speed up his forced departure he, had no idea, still a chance however small was worth taking, maybe if he eased into it.

"Rotor, I can't let you take my blood, I'm uhhhhm, sick and I didn't want anyone worried so I didn't tell you, please don't tell anyone, please." Tails put on a begging face and no acting was required as Rotor looked taken back as he replied. "Tails if your just saying that to get out of a little needle you're gonna be in "Mondo" trouble" his face softened as he continued "But if you just said the truth, then I won't tell, but I want to know what's wrong with you so I know how to help" Tail's was still very worried, but he felt happy that Rotor cared that much, in his mind all he had to do was describe his condition very, very carefully. "Well I don't know the name of it, but it makes me kind of sensitive to sunlight." Their he thought, a good start, just keep it up, he continued "I, see better in the dark and my hearings overly sensitive, and…" ok, his last hurdle, blood, his self-treatment required blood, how in the hell am I supposed to word this he thought. It hit him like a lightning bolt, though he himself would have shuddered at the analogy "Iron, I uhhm need extra iron in my diet to keep the symptoms from getting worse, you know like red meat and such." He smiled, happy at his explanation as he looked at Rotor whose face was one of worry and more than a little sceptical as he spoke up. "Well I can't diagnose you, but this sounds pretty serious, maybe I'll tell Doctor Quack so he can identify it" Tails smile fell, one person even sort of knowing was bad, but Doctor Quack might actually be able to identify what he was, that's why he had always stayed as far from him as possible, going to see the doctor was not an option. So Tails gave up and dove in head first, for the first time in his life he was going to tell someone when a small mechanical voice chirped in, none other than Nichole who had been laying on Rotors workbench to help him. "I have already searched the databanks, for probable causes, and performed a standing scan on Miles, my scans report that the subject, Miles, is already deceased, based on this and the vague info he gave, I believe the most likely cause is Vampirism." The words hung in the air, complete silenced filled the room as Rotor's face turned to one of impossible bewilderment, it couldn't be possible, it had to be a malfunction, but the face of utter depression and acceptance on Tails face told him otherwise, the two met eyes and stared into the others, for a long time, both frightened of the other.


	2. Chapter 2

Well its up, thanks again for the reviews, my first ever, damn its exciting, Jakeroo123, Than Klesh, HalfWright, and Suicuneluvr. You people are awesome.

Also I forgot this the first time, I do not own sonic, the franchise, or any part of sega, they all belong to sega.

That being said I hope you enjoy it and please review. Pretty please with gore and candy on top. LOL.

* * *

Their stares held, not a whisper nor wind was a heard in the lab as Tails and Rotor just stood there, Unable to move or speak, the silence stood as vast and deep as the ocean till it was finally broken by Tails, in a voice barely above a whisper "So, what happens now?" Rotor stood and blinked a few times, it was still Tails, the person he had taught, and who always was willing to lend a hand, he couldn't dismiss a hundred good deeds for one black mark, though to say he didn't consider it would have been a false statement. He replied a saddened tone to his voice. "How long, how much has been a lie, do you really care anything for us, can you even feel." The words held an edge and Tail's felt the sting of each word like a lash, his voice shook as he spook, a mix of anger and betrayal that one would even ask him those questions, of course he cared. "You have NO RIGHT! I stayed and fought beside you every day, do you know how many times I could have betrayed, or hurt you, how many times my body cried out to, but I always held myself back, because, I DID Care for you, and still do, I lied to keep myself safe because none of you would have given me a chance if you knew the truth, no one ever does, they just chase me out and leave me alone again, so YES I do feel!" Rotor was taken aback, the words were strong, the harshest he had ever heard from the fox's mouth, he couldn't imagine what he had been through, and in that instant he felt guilt, he opened his mouth to speak but closed and instead took a step towards Tail's and did something Tail's had not expected in the slightest, he hugged him.

Tail's went stiff, expecting a knife in the back but when none came he simply hugged back and felt a lone tear drip down his face as Rotor whispered to him. "I'm sorry, I won't tell, and I'll do everything I can to help you, I wish I could have known sooner, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean what I said." Tail's let go of the embrace and backed up a few steps, being that close to someone was always hard, and he could feel his fangs digging into his lower lip, he had been so taken aback by it all, and he felt a feeling well inside of him, hope, hope for brighter days, not just for other people with the end of Robotnik, but for him as well. For the first time, he could picture a future, not one where he had been forced to run, and it was because of Rotor, he turned to him, eyes bright but with no tears left to fall as he said his thanks. "Thanks, you….you don't know how much this means, how lonely it gets, you're a real friend, you're the reason I fight what I am, you and all the others, but now I have more reason than ever to fight, so I'll fight, thank you Rotor, just…thanks"

They stared at each other once again this time each baring the faintest of smiles, Rotor's fell away as he asked his final question, the most worrisome one of all "Where… well you know, how do you get the...blood, you don't go around biting people, do you?" Tail's laughed, just slight chuckle, as he replied "Actually I know that If I bit anyone they would probably turn, so instead I use a kit I hid when I came to Knothole, a syringe and a special mixture I can make so you don't wake up when I draw blood, it's completely safe, and no one can get infected, the problem is it takes a while to get enough blood so I have to run through most of Knothole once a month" he blurted out the statement, he was actually very impressed with his method of safely getting blood, and finally being able to share it and who he was, was a joyous revelation to him. Rotor broke him out of his mental back patting with another question, this one less serious but still important to the portly walrus. "You never had any of my blood. Right?" he asked in a light-hearted manner almost joking, but he genuinely wanted to know, he saw Tails looking at his foot twisting it about on the ground with a sheepish grin as he spoke. "Well, only a few times. No offense but your blood is kind of gross." They both laughed, each wanted to make light of the situation, and they found themselves sitting on the ground with backs to the same wall looking directly at each other. Tails knew Rotor was curious by nature, it was what made a good mechanic, so Tails let out a sigh and gave an abbreviated version of his story.

It had been about 62 years since he was born in a far off village which lay on the outskirts of Mobian civilization, a town called Dew Berry, where he had been born, it was far up North and it snowed frequently, he kept all memories of his parents carefully in his mind, they had been the best he could have hoped for, they had loved him and cared for him a great deal, until the night of his 8th birthday. The night he always remembered with a bitterer taste in his mouth, he had gone for a walk in the park, he had done it hundreds of times before, and his parents had been too busy getting his party ready they hadn't noticed him slip out, he died in that park, and he remembered every detail. The sun was setting painting a deep purple and orange bright and vivid on the corners of the horizon, the breeze had a cold edge and the few people still out resulted in a near noiseless atmosphere, so as the twin tailed child walked down amongst the grass and trees he heard a rustling in a brush and turned to face it, nothing, jumping at shadows he presumed, though he grew nervous, he continued forwards towards his favourite spot, a slightly sloping hill to lie on and watch the sunset. A voice rose up, slow and ancient, cold, and yet positively excited. "You shouldn't be out by yourself at this time of the day, you never know what could be waiting." Tails turned in a flash all his fur on end a look of fright on his face as he whirled to face the sounds origin. Nothing yet again, and then he felt it, pain, he felt the fangs slide into his neck flesh, and painful tears and a deadened yelp came to his throat but couldn't escape. He tried to move but firm cold hands caught him around the stomach and each motion caused the claws to tear deeper into his gut staining the grass a shade of crimson as he thrashed. The teeth pulled out and he sank to his knees, blood pouring out around him as he grasped at his neck, the thrashing had torn a large hole and he felt his whole body shiver as things began to blur, he tried to whisper out help, but the words were gargled behind the blood as he lay down and bleed to death amongst the grass. The figure who had done this was a Mobian, but beyond his blurring vision he couldn't tell what, all he could see was the blood that coated his fur turning it a sickly red as the monstrosity spoke "Your blood is fine, the youth are always so, alive, don't worry, you won't die, you'll be reborn stronger than any fool, so smile, I have given you a most wonderful gift, enjoy your first it is always the most enjoyable" the voice reeked of madness as he turned and left as Tails eyes fell shut blood still pooling, certain he would not wake again.

It burned, like being stung countless times, so when Tails awoke, he screamed, louder than one would think humanely possible, he looked around and found himself in a ray of light from the single window in the room, he was on a cold metal table, he felt instinct take over and threw himself out of the light and onto the equally cold tiled floor. He ran his hand on his neck, he found stitches, he looked down at his stomach and found it stitched as well, mostly concealed by his white patch of fur, he remembered what happened and let tears hit the floor as he sobbed when his hand came to rest over his chest, he realized he couldn't feel his heartbeat, the dull thud he could always feel, the beat that was his lifeline had gone quiet. He jumped up in a panic, as it hit him, he was dead, the sun hurt him, the only answer that came to him was grim, a vampire, he had been told stories and always assumed they were just that, stories, but now he was trapped in the story and didn't know what to do. He stood on shaky knees, eyes still brimming with tears as he looked back to the pristine metal table he had been laid on, he caught his reflection in it, Blood red eyes, with dark black circles under his eyes and fangs poking out even with his mouth closed. He looked at his hands, his claws were much longer and black in color, he rested a hand on his chest to look for some confirmation he was alive, that he was still him, but he got nothing but silence, he shook his head and walked for the door unsure of what to do as he walked through it carefully side steeping the beam of light. He walked down the hallway, a few saw him but were too preoccupied to notice any of his features, it was deafening to him, everything seemed so loud, and the smells, he bumped into a doorway drawn out of his haze as he opened it unsure what drew him to it, but when he opened the door he knew precisely what had drawn him, blood, the smell, the sweet smell hung heavy in the air. Bags of blood dotted the area and before he could even analyze what happened he threw himself at them and ripped into the bags with his now fully elongated fangs, it took him no more than two minutes to empty five bags as blood dripped down his chin and he quickly collected each drop with his tongue not wishing to waste a single drop. He stopped, he felt full, he stared down at himself, three lone drops of blood had escaped his attack and fallen onto his white chest fur, he realized what he had just done, realized to his full horror what he was, he felt sickened, full, and all the more sickened at feeling full. More tears feel from his eyes as he stood and tried vigorously to get off the three crimson marks, they marked him as a monster and he wanted no part of it, eventually they came off, a mix of tears and rubbing had worn them off. He stood and ran from the hospital, as fast as he could, it was faster than anyone could even follow with their eye, he was an orange blur, he walked into the nearest woods, and kept walking.

He wandered for a long time, he hunted wild game, and fed, the blood was all he needed but he ate the meat raw if for only the familiar comfort of food, he soon realized that the animal blood kept his hunger at bay, but couldn't stop it from slowly rising back to that terrible level, so when he came across a small village, he felt his stomach rumble, and he knew exactly what he was hungry for. He found a hospital and waited for night, he had grown used to his powers, the strength and he knew he would break in, get some blood, then get out, he didn't want to hurt anyone, but anytime any villager had even seen him, he felt it, the need to attack, to give in and tear at them till the blood was amongst the ground, and then lap it up. He was into the hospital with ease, and following his nose found blood storage and quickly got to work, he ripped into three bags and owned them quick, than grabbed four more to take with him, as he turned to go a noise assailed his ears, it was a scream. Logic aside he ran to the source, and found a male wolverine with brown fur pointing a gun at a nurse, he didn't think, he pounced the man with the gun in less than a heartbeat, and the wolverine lay dead on the floor, his throat ripped out and clenched in the teeth of the fox as he turned to the nurse and dropped the flesh in his mouth. "Are you okay?" She looked shocked, and horrified and she shouted, with a shrill piercing scream "HELP, Cannibal, monster, get out of HERe,HELLLPP!" the fox was heartbroken, he turned and ran, the bags of blood still in hand as more tears welled to his eyes, he tripped taking a corner to fast and burst through a door into an office.

The owner had left a book on his desk and the fox wanted desperately, to focus on anything else, so he looked at it quickly, It was a book on medical practice for students, he often found himself with nothing to do so he quickly grabbed it as he continued his dash to the exit, a wrong turn and he found himself in an operating room, come to think of it he hadn't seen the entrance being dead when he was brought in, but he knew he had to move so he quickly turned ready to leave when a small, brown bag caught his eye, it was a doctors bag, he didn't know why, his hands were already full, but he felt he should take it, so place the book in his jaws he grabbed it with his now free hand and fled quickly finding the exit and running into the night. His story then dragged on, him learning basic medicine from the book and bag, figuring out how to extract blood, developing the paralytic so the person he used it on wouldn't wake up, and finally running into a settlement, resisting the urges, trying to help and then being driven out. All the way till being found by the freedom fighters, at the end Rotor stared in disbelief, he could never imagine anyone going through such hardships, he pulled Tails into another hug, and they each let a tear fall, Tails from joy at being accepted, Rotor from empathy for someone he cared for and had been through so much, they pulled apart and stared again, this time the light from the window seemed to promise brighter days, and the sting of sunlight was welcomed.


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry about the length of this one, but I wont be able to type for a couple of days so I figured I would leave

you a something. I noticed some new reviewer's thank you Casino Nights, CloakedViper and Sallee, and another huge

thanks to you people who reviewed again. Anyways I dont own sonic or any portion of the Sega franchise

all rights and character belong to them. Hope you enjoy and please review

* * *

It was a bright day, both figuratively and metaphorically for one fox in particular, after their conversation Rotor had given him some of the blood he had left over from testing, he had left the room before ripping in to it for Rotors sake, he was full, happy, and didn't feel quite like the monster he had always believed himself to be, the sun even stung a little less after feeding. He wondered what to do; the world seemed absolutely full of possibilities now, he could go back to the lab and help Rotor with one of his inventions, though their working atmosphere had shifted they both still found it very enjoyable. He could meet up with Sonic, maybe go for a run, or help aunt Bunny or Sally with something. He paused in simple thought, the few clouds fully puffed and white passed overhead, he heard the crunching of grass and looked from his reclined spot on the grassy hill. He saw Antoine walking up the hill, the few metals on his chest clanking on his way up.

"Bonjour Tails, ow eez you doing?" Tails laughed, the accent always had that effect on him, it really was just that atrocious, he smiled and it came easily when he replied. "Really great Antoine thanks for asking." A thought crossed the twin tailed fox's mind, if Rotor had been so accepting would everyone, was he just paranoid all these years, how would Antoine react, if everyone knew and accepted him then he could live here forever, it was a wonderful thought, but he knew he should still be wary. "Hey Ant, you think I'm good right?" Antoine was puzzled, he wasn't certain what he meant, he replied in an unsure tone. "Oui, zue are ze fantastic mechanic no, we couldn't be getting the on without you." Tails Chuckled again, Antoine was a chicken, but a nice chicken, he was about to reply that, that wasn't what he meant when a sound hit his and Antoine's ears, it was a bell, the emergency bell, the if this bell is ringing you should be running bell, they took off in the direction of Knothole Tails quickly pulling ahead.

The sight that greeted the two was horrendous, swat-bots marched down the middle street and everywhere buildings were burning and charred and bleeding bodies lied tossed aside like leaves. Blood ran through the street and the air was heavy with smoke and the scent of charred bodies, a Mobian lie on the ground a swat-bot pointing its laser at her head, the swat-bot was flung away in an instant, and the person saved, standing over her was Tails a grim look on his as he pulled the Mobian to her feet and told her to run to the shelter. Antoine finally catching up panted for breath as he spoke. "You…(huff) are fast as ze hedgehog almost, no (huff)" In order to help her he had gone faster than he normally let himself, he could probably lie about adrenaline later, but now he had lives to save and swat-bots to scrap, and as he ran through Knothole this is precisely what he did. There was still a risk of being discovered he knew, if enough adrenaline ever actually got into his system, he would progress through most stages of vampirism, he would gain full access to his abilities, but his true nature would be obvious to all observers, he would need a lot of blood to make up the deficit and get him back to the level he was currently at, so with this in mind after totalling about 13 swat-bots he took a breather to calm himself.

It was then a boom was heard, a very familiar boom as a blue blur crashed into a crowd of swat-bots and metal limbs flew off in all conceivable direction, standing atop the pile of mutilated robots was Sonic, a look on his face that almost could be considered serious. "Hey ya lil bro, what are you doing out here, you should head for the shelter." He quickly yelled out while in the middle of spin-dashing a swat-bot, Tails shook his head, he was going to help as many people as he could, it was the least he could do for Rotor, for Sonic and everyone else, he heard more swat-bots and leapt at them doing several impressive homing attacks before back flipping off one and using his tails to keep in the air before dive bombing another. Sonic's had his jaw almost hit the ground, his little bro was trashing swat-bots almost as fast as he was, Sonic picked up the pace and retrieved his jaw from the floor and quickly continued his own assault. "Sonic three beh…" before his sentence was complete the three were thrown away by a rather angry looking bunny. "Howdy sugar hog, hope I'm not too late" She looked over and saw Tails finishing off another swat-bot that had been about to attack a little girl probably no older than 5.

"Phew, hey Bunny, nice timing, come on we've got to help Knothole, you coming Sonic." Sonic almost let his jaw fall again, this person was so unlike the Tails he had been used to, brave, making rational decisions, fighting swat-bots, saving people, he was turning out more like him by the day he thought a smile plastering itself to his face. "Right, let's speed keed." They rushed off in the direction off Knotholes center where Sally likely was, Sonic running quickly and again surprised to see Tails keeping pace with the other falling behind, after this was done he would have to have a race with Tails he thought, "he might actually make me work". They reached Sally's hut and cut through the bots surrounding it, Sonic spin dashing, Tails with homing attacks and Bunny straight punching with her robotic arm. The area was clear and they kicked down Sal's door and came face to face with her holding a laser pistol almost shooting them on site, she let out a sigh and lowered the gun as she motioned them to come towards her. "Ok I'm glad you're here and everyone's alright, but we have to get everyone out of here, Robotnik somehow found out where Knothole is, I think it's best if we just move to the fallback area, the tunnel is in the shelter, I already called and had the others go ahead, when we get their go through, I'll go through last and collapse the tunnel behing us so the swat-bots can't follow. Any Question?" All in attendance shook their head as they made it into the shelter via the stump and moved down the ladder into the darkened pit, Tails in fact felt more comfortable in the dark where he could see clearer than the others, he would protect them with his life.

Faint rumblings could be heard overhead but from the sound it was mostly over, they followed the multitude of foot and paw prints which led down the tunnel using the light of Nichole as guidance, they went on until light could be seen up ahead and as they walked into the light Sally who had been periodically placing explosive's on the sides of the tunnel pulled out a detonator and clicked the button and a faint red glow was seen before the sound of falling rock was heard. With the way here safe they looked over the area, a backup Knothole which had been constructed over time, almost no huts were up but a large number of tents could be seen, this place was prepared for just such an occasion and Sally doubted the swat-bots could move all the rubble, this was safe enough for now. Sally turned to Sonic and gave him a hug which he returned as Bunny bent down and hugged Tails, all the fighting had him excited and his fangs were about halfway out so if he opened his mouth he would be in trouble, as long as he had time to cool down, everything would be fine, he hugged Bunny, and was about to let go when a low whistling sound was heard. It was one of Robotnik's collection ships for transporting large numbers of Mobian's to the Roboticizer, Sonic let out a sigh as he spoke "Well a heroes work is never done" he got out of the hug and prepared to head out, when he stopped, Tails had always asked to go on missions, after seeing what he had done to those bots he was sure he could handle himself. "Hey little bud, how about you come with, well juice some more tin heads?" Tails was knew he wanted to help people and to do it beside Sonic was the best possible kind of bonus he thought, still he would need to keep calm while there, he knew it was dangerous, but he wanted to keep helping. "Sure thing Sonic, let's do it to it"

Before Sally had a chance to protest all there was, was a large dust trail, she watched it as the rest of her friends came to greet her and help her settle in, Antoine, Rotor, Dulcy, Rotor spoke up worry in his voice. "Uh Sal, where's Tails?" Sally responded a little annoyed they hadn't consulted her "He and Sonic took off to rescue anyone Robotnik is trying to round up, they had better be careful, maybe… get a small team ready, were going to follow them, they're going all the way through the woods since the tunnels closed, if we take that hover car you fixed Rotor we should be able to catch up."Weaving in and out of trees was tiring even for the great blue hedgehog, he even had a bead of sweat dripping, he looked back and right on his heels was Tails, weird he thought, it doesn't look like he's sweating at all.


	4. Chapter 4

Wow, this stiry is getting almost lengthy, I hope you people are still enjoying it so please review.

Also I don not own Sonic, Sega or any characters relating to either of those two. Enjoy and critique.

* * *

Tails was keeping pace with Sonic, of course Sonic wasn't going even half speed, but nonetheless he was astounded Tails was keeping up, and all without breaking a sweat, Sonic thought back, come to think of it he had never seen the young fox sweat, it was weird, he pushed the thought to the back of his mind and kept running, there were Mobian's to save. Tails was focused on running, he didn't go all out either, but his speed would easily shock anyone who was not a blue hedgehog, he hadn't gotten a chance to rest, he could feel adrenaline in his veins, his fangs were just barely poking out with his mouth closed, and his claws were starting to wear through his pair of white gloves.

Back in the fall back area Sally had quickly organized a five man team to get into the hover car and they were already heading for the collection ship, she would likely get there a few seconds after Sonic and Tails and hopefully keep them from becoming small piles of irradiated dust. The woods whipped by and Sally looked at the other four members of her troop, she had decided to take her combat specialists, not the regular team she used for infiltration missions but two large Bears who would constantly refer to themselves as Da Bears, a minx with a large sniper rifle, and a large almost raptor like lizard named Rex, Rotor had insisted on coming but she had denied him, she was going to protect Sonic and she was expecting a firefight.

The blue and orange duo burst through the clearing to the sound of robots marching on the grass and all manner of hover ships in the air, one thing however was missing, Mobian's, not a single one visible, and then a voice like scraping nails came from nowhere and the atmosphere seemed to darken. "Well hello their hedgehog, and I see you brought the fox brat as well, no matter, I have surprise for you hedgehog that I think you will not enjoy, it goes something like this." The grinding of gears and the smell of oil filled the air as the collection ship shed armour bits, and pieces until it no longer resembled a collection ship, but a very large missile and laser armed war ship, there was no lull or space of seconds before it fired, the single function in its primitive mechanical mind about to be realized, extermination of the hedge-pig. Sonic stood paralyzed, the barrage filled his vision, the missiles seemed to stretch endlessly and the laser fire rocketed towards him, it was too fast, even for the fastest thing alive, he just stood, a scream very faint in his ears as he felt a push on his stomach, he was flying backwards and where he had stood was Tails, his heart filled with fear, his little brother was about to die, and he had just stood there caring about himself.

With Sonic safely away Tails stood in the barrages path, seeing Sonic in danger had pushed him over the edge, his fangs were fully elongated, and his claws had shredded his gloves, his eyes stood blood red and if he wasn't in the shadow of the machine that had just fired he would be feeling the sun in all its stinging agony. He moved at full speed, he whirled his twin tails together and sped forwards at full vampiric speed, the sound barrier boomed loud, as he passed out of the way of the lethal barrage and into the sunlight, Sonic had seen the explosion directly where his brother was standing and tears welled in his eyes as he charged the ship running up the side of a tree to land successfully on its top. It was reduced extraordinarily quickly, a spin dash through a weak point and he spun all about in its mechanical innards tearing it to bits before escaping over the top and falling down seconds before it exploded into a fireball as he fell to the ground, hot and angry tears over the loss of his brother filling his face. On the edge of the field where burning debris continued falling was Sally and her team, all silent after witnessing the death of Tails, it was then that a scream was heard, an extremely pained scream and looking to its source they saw a small orange fox rolling in the sunlight as if on fire, smoke rising from him and his screams echoing in the clearing.

Sonic heard it to and hope rose in his chest as he sped to his brothers side, but when he got their he could barely make out his little bro, his mouth was wide and fangs jutted out, and claws dug into the ground as tears of pain rolled down his face, Sonic didn't know what to do, the screams had words in them, and being this close Sonic could make them out as he bent down and picked up the fox in his hands. "SuNN…. Get,,.it.. AWAUHHGG, get me out of it!" He walked to the shadows of the nearby trees as and placed him in them and his screams became whimpers as Sally and her team joined alongside them. The five stood around the trembling ball of orange fur as Sally was the first to speak. "Tails, what's happened to you, you look…different." The minx said through clenched teeth, a hateful glare cast directly at Tails "I know what he is, this little bastards a vampire, hell just look at him, and the fact that he was burning in sunlight, hell we should put him down before he kills all of us." Sonic turned casting his own angry glare as Tails breathing became more regular. "Now just wait a minute, I've known my bro for years and he's been in the sunlight thousands of times, there is no way he's some bloodsucking monster, think, if he was why hasn't he killed us all long before now, he isn't a vampire, don't be so stupid." Tails voice piped in, quiet and sad "I'm sorry Sonic"

Sonic saw it in his eyes, he felt his life collapse in on itself, it did make sense, he couldn't accept it, he wouldn't, he was his brother and he couldn't believe that he was a monster. The bears where whispering back and forth wondering if vampires were real, Rex was quiet and the Minx glared daggers and Tails, head bowed, Sally spoke up, tears in her eyes as she spoke. "Nichole, run diagnostic on Tails" "Sally, diagnostic is unnecessary, Tails was already identified as a vampire yesterday at approximately 2:00 PM." Gasps were heard, the truth was presented, and Tails tried to stand but the barrel of the minx's sniper rifle was place directly to his temple kept him from fleeing, Sonic fell on his knees as tears went down Sally's face, the Minx's spoke up "Well, what do we do, kill him here, or have a trial, I personally say we put him down right now, but it is your call Princess" Tails spoke up again, voice still sad, but a hint of nervousness at the guns position on his head as he spoke out. "It's true, I really am...a vampire, but I would never hurt you, I just wanted to help, Sonic, Sally you have to believe me, I just wanted to help." The minx snorted but the words brought fresh tears to Sonic's eyes as he turned to his former brother, his voice colder then Tails had ever heard it. "You lied all this time, pretended and manipulated us, hell according to Nichole someone even knew and didn't tell anyone, how many people have you killed, why, would you do this to us, your….a monster."

Tails felt tears stream down his face, his brother thought he was a monster, the minx wanted to kill him, his eyes fell on Sally and her look told Tails she felt the same as Sonic, he was going to die here if he didn't do something, he didn't want to die. Even if he wasn't alive, he wasn't dead, he flicked his tails as fast as he could and moved at the same time, the minx's sniper rifle was knocked away for a fraction of a second, but in that time Tails had fled into the dark woods as fast as he could go, he broke the sound barrier and he continued on, he felt cold inside, cold and dead, exactly what he really was he thought bitterly.

He heard a second sonic boom and saw the familiar blue blur that once promised safety charging at him a look of anger on his face, Tails still had tears in his eyes but he turned and stopped, he glared at Sonic, he felt hate, a seething hate that his own brother could betray him so easily, he fought so hard day and night to keep from hurting his so called friends, but in this instant he could no longer see the point of it. "If you think I'm a monster, then I'll show you a MONSTER!" Tails charged at full speed claws outstretched, and the unexpectedness caught the hedgehog off guard, a deep crimson scar ran across his stomach turning the grass under him a deep red as well as patches of his blue fur became a sickening purple. Tail's was hungry, the blood, it was already loose he reasoned, he had been betrayed by him, so what would it hurt if he killed him, finally gave in to the monster inside and let him gulp down Sonic's blood, a thought came, the time in the hot spring, the place that was just their secret, he turned and fled, he had been a brother, once. Sonic lay bleeding on the ground, the wound wasn't particularly deep, but blood was welling from it and the scent hit his nose and he gagged, chunks of his fur were caught in the blood and Sonic lay their a terrible feeling in his gut, why hadn't he killed him, if Tails was just the monster why didn't he kill him. "Tails" he whispered out tears forming in the corners of his eyes "I'm sorry to" he blacked out just as the other caught up and began carrying him back for medical treatment.


	5. Chapter 5

Hello everybody, chapter five is up and some new reviewers I noticed Numbah 6,and Sparky, Also anothe rhuge tanks you to those that keep reviewing

you people are awesome. I decided to try something a little differeent with Tails character here, but I think he won't change very much, anyways I do

not own sonic, sega or any affiliatd character, I hope yoou enjoy and please review.

* * *

Alone, always alone, it was dark now, that at least was good, a deer was grazing nearby, unintelligent, unaware, easy prey, the orange blur was on it in a second and blood seeped into the grass of the field, it was his fourth deer tonight, after this he would only need one more he thought. He licked the drops of blood from his lips, he felt better, cold, but better, Sonic had betrayed him, he was alone again, the way he would always be he thought bitterly. Tails bent over and lapped up more of the blood, ripping the carcass to pieces, eating the meat as well, as close to comfort food as he could get at this time, he was blood drenched, he had practically crawled into the carcass, he looked down at his now scarlet chest and gave a sad laugh as he shouted into the night air "Is this what you wanted! Am I a monster yet! You stupid hedgehog, why.." his voice trailed off no longer angry only sad as he finished his rant "Why couldn't you have been my brother." He looked down dejectedly at the ground and at his own blood drenched self as he sighed, one more deer and I'll be able to pass myself off as normal, though since it wasn't Mobian blood the transformation wouldn't last even half a quarter as long if it had been Mobian he thought. A week of looking like a regular Mobian was probably enough to get into whatever community he could find, he would need to raid a hospital in Robotropilis though to get another syringe, he stopped that thought, why bother, why not just use his fangs the way he was supposed to for once, it felt good carving into the deer, maybe it would feel just as good to bite into Mobian neck flesh, what did he have to prove anymore.

Rotor, he had accepted him, even if everyone else had stabbed him in the back Rotor stood by him, No, he sighed again, he wouldn't give in, for Rotor he told himself as he got up and used his sharpened senses to start tracking another deer. Tails stood in a river washing the blood of the final deer off himself, his fur was more orange spotted amongst the drying blood as he attempted to pick the dry blood and bits of deer meat off himself. Eerie red streaks ran along the river and Tails watch them flow by, he wondered if that was his fate, to forever flow, never stop and always be stained in blood, he shook his head then submerged it to wash his red face and cheeks, after he was done he clambered out of the river and shook himself dry. He would go raid a hospital first, if he was found or got into a community he didn't trust himself to get the syringe later and might just have done without it, and he would not give in he repeated endlessly in his mind, he would struggle on in a desperate bid for peace, whether in family or oblivion he would know peace he convince himself. He headed in the direction of Robotropolis the moon high in the sky, he paused and stared at it, a slight smirk on his face as he let out his best impression of a howl, if he was a beast he should at least enjoy it he reasoned.

Finding a hospital was easy; hiding from the legions of swat-bots was not, he stealthily skulked from corner to corner till the hospital was just across the street, he looked behind himself and noticed he was in the doorway of a clothing shop, mostly burned out, turning his back to the hospital for the moment he walked inside. Clothing wasn't too uncommon for Mobian's, it just wasn't necessary with all the fur, still it was a preference, Tails had never held that preference, but as he thought about it, Tails was dead, he couldn't use that name anymore, or Miles, he was saddened at the thought, he had grown attached to the name, more so then any of his other attempts at an alias. Miles had been him, Tails was a name that had made him smile whenever his aunt Bunny or Sonic had called him by it, Sonic, the name tasted bitter, he had decided, he would move on and the first step was clothes, something that Tails had never worn apart from a pair of gloves which were mostly shreds at this point and his shoes. He looked about, he wanted to forget, to move far from who he was so he scanned the place over with his eyes, had he not been a vampire it would have been near impossible to see with the lack of light, he spotted something, a duster tan and long, perfect he thought as he tried it on. He cursed his eight year old body, it hung off him and this fact elicited a growl from his lips, he sighed and tossed it off before noticing a much smaller one behind where it had stood on the rack, obviously built for one of the smaller species of Mobian but he praised his luck. It fit perfectly, he had heard the occasional story of cowboys and outlaws and when he looked into a dusted mirror he was vaguely reminded of them, had a hat been present he would have been the exact image of one of these historical figures. He looked about for something else and spotted a simple black pant and pulled on one that looked about his size, his twin tails didn't quite fit through the back so using his claws he made a minor incision until both tails could flow comfortably, he looked in the mirror and smiled, or at the very least gave the illusion of a smile to complete his new persona, now all he needed was a name, he sighed, he was tired of alias's and deceptions he would just use his real name.

He walked from the store his new duster flowing a little behind him as he sprinted across the street, he had taken the liberty of upturning the collar, it had seemed cool in his mind, he was in and out of the hospital in five minutes syringe in hand as he made his way back to the forests edge. As he approached his ears picked up a sound, faint and almost inaudible even to his superior hearing, it was laughter and in the distance he saw the faint red glow of firelight. He approached slowly, careful not to make any noise, he was far from Knothole, but what if it was someone he knew, he shuddered at the thought, not so soon, he couldn't handle it, and if it was Sonic, his fangs slid out just the slightest bit and he checked his breathing to try and calm himself as he climbed up a tree to get a view of the camp. Three people sat round a campfire laughing lightly and quietly telling tales of their travels, Tails leaned in closer on the branch to hear.

"Then twenty, NO! Thirty swat-bots came round and I trashed them all." It was a coyote who spook with a grin plastered on his face as the other two snorted at his story. "Nice try Mike, but I was there, try five swat-bots and a wall fell on three of them." The member who hadn't spoken yet laughed at Mike and high fived the ferret who had "clarified" Mike's story, a giggle was heard over head and all heads quickly snapped in the direction of the sound as laser pistols and rifles were drawn to the tree Tails was currently covering his mouth in. He cursed himself in his head as he spoke out, uncertainty in his voice "Hi, uhhhm, please don't kill me." He said it as he poked his head out of the foliage trying to look the part, they took one look at him and lowered their weapons, a motioned for him to come down and join them, he flipped over and held the tree with his hands before dropping to the ground, the looked him up and down before the cat spoke "Why are you all alone out here, you know how dangerous it is right?" she had a smooth voice and was obviously trying to comfort the child, Tails would have taken full advantage of the situation, would have played the innocent child again, he didn't want to be Tails, he spoke up steady tone in his voice. "I'm fine by myself, I can survive way better than most, hell I've personally fought Robotnik" The others stared between themselves for a moment before bursting into laughter "Look Mike, someone can finally keep up with your stories!" They all continued laughing and rolling along the ground as Tails eye twitched, this was not what he wanted, he was loathing his eight year old body at this instant, "Hey I'm not kidding" Tails response just caused them to laugh more heartily until the ferret finally managed to stop rolling on the ground and stood up and looked hard at Tails, it was dark and he kept his twin Tails together so no one would notice until morning, but the look had something he didn't feel all that comfortable as he spoke up to Tails. "Well I have knack, a power if you will for guessing names, and if you're ready, I'll give it my best guess." Tails nodded happily, his real name, though proud of it, was pretty laughable, in fact his last name actually was the word fuzzy, he shuddered at the thought, a child with two tails was bad enough, throw in the last name of Fuzzy, he hadn't had a running tally on childhood friends is all he would say.

The ferret paused and looked him straight in the eye, Tails felt nervous, he unconsciously deepened his breathing, it had really become habit, as the ferret spoke a sudden light in his eyes "I've got It your name is…" Tails tensed ready to accept any new name given at the drop of a hat, he tensed back ready to jump for joy when the ferret cheerfully shouted the ending to his statement. "Miles, you definitely look like a Miles" Tails collapsed in a heap, and began slowly banging his head on the ground, as the others looked at him with a bizarre bit of curiosity and worry over the fox banging his head on the ground, a thought was in Tails mind, "At least they hadn't called him Tails, he could live with Miles a little while longer he supposed, damn what could the odds have been, hell maybe I am a Miles?" He sighed and looked up at the three grinning at him awkwardly as he spoke a little sadness in his voice "Yep, good guess, Miles is right on the money." The coyote spoke up this time laughter clear in his voice. "Spooky ain't it, nearly passed out when he called me Mike right after we met, if you don't want to be called Miles is their another name?" The only thing Tails could think of was, not Tails, for the love of all that is holy don't let them call me Tails, his thoughts were interrupted as the cat spoke up friendly and upbeat. "Well we haven't fully introduced ourselves, I'm Tab, Mikes the coyote, and the ferret is Max, and if you don't like Miles I think I have a nickname idea…" Oh god it's going to be Tails he thought, how did they know, he dreaded it, as she spoke up "How about Duster, you know because you're wearing a duster?" "Yes, thank god yes, woohhhooooo" He had jumped straight into the air cheering, It wasn't Tails, he actually kind of liked it, "Duster" he thought, it definitely could work, he was grinning ear to ear and the other had the most confused expressions imaginable on their faces, they looked at each other and they all burst out laughing again, this time the newly dubbed "Duster" joining in.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter six is up, sorry for taking my time on this one. Anyway I really hope you continue reviewing or

if you are new give it a shot. Also a question, how much longer should this continue, I see a possible ending in the next 3-4

chapters, if thats to short or sounds about right message me. On with the show. Also i still own nothing Sonic or Sega related.

* * *

A heroic blue hedgehog was lying in a hospital bed, though at this moment he felt anything but heroic, he felt horrible, the scene kept replaying itself every time he closed his  
eyes, Tails turns and runs, his tails move into that familiar propeller position and he's gone in a rush of leaves. He had betrayed his brother, he was a vampire, but he was still his brother, the scars from their fight were healing well he heard the doctor say, he looked at the white bandages wound round his torso and sighed, physically he would be fine in another day or two, emotionally he felt his heart had been beaten with a mallet. He sat up on the bed as footsteps approached and his door was cast open, their stood Sally a smile on her face and gave Sonic a hug, he eagerly hugged back, being alone with his thoughts was something he had best avoid.

He spoke up memory of their last conversation already nagging him "Sal have we started looking for Tails yet, he could be anywhere and…WE need to find him." He had spurted it out in one long breath and Sally sighed, she remembered exactly how the news had went over in Knothole, pitch forks, torches, and a 24 hour watch dedicated to shooting Tails on sight, led by a certain Minx with a sniper rifle, Sally had cared for Tails but after him attacking Sonic, she was unsure what to believe. Sonic could see the doubt in her face and spoke again, calm. "Sal, he could have killed me, he didn't, he could have killed all of us, but we have never had a single member of the entire freedom fighters go missing without Robotnik using him for leverage, Tails isn't a monster, I am, I let him down…I..wasn't a brother to him." Sonic's face had fallen and Sally could hear some soft sniffling occurring, if Sonic trusted him she would need to as well, she took a deep breath and replied. "Sonic, you were shocked, we all were, we will find him, and we will apologize, but Sonic, you need to remember what he is, this could have pushed him over the edge, you might not even recognize him when you see him." Sally tried to speak softly to her tormented friend but the content of the words still had the hedgehog shaking, a knock was heard at the door and it caught both their attention instantly.

Under the doctor's orders Sonic had so far only been allowed to see Sally, she stood and opened the door to come face to face with a very angry looking Rotor. Rotor's gaze fell on Sonic and the hedgehog felt a shiver, this was not a look anyone had seen on Rotor before, they knew he could be grumpy, but this was fury, and it was directed straight at a certain blue hedgehog. "Uhh.. Hi yah Rotor, what's with the death stare?" Sonic tried to sound casual, it sounded nervous, Rotor pushed past Sally and leveled a finger at Sonic before letting the damn of his emotion completely fall. "YOU BASTARD, how could you do that to your so called brother, you stabbed him in the back and let that crazy Minx Bitch run around head hunting him. You should be disgusted with yourself; hell ROBOTNIK would have probably treated Snively better if he had been a vampire. You…You god damn, hypocrite hedgehog..how can you even live with yourself!" His rant over he looked and saw Sonic and Sally's jaws on the floors, maybe he had overdone it a little, no, he deserved everything he got in Rotors mind, he turned to leave but Sonic grabbed his wrist and looked him straight in the eyes, the hedgehogs normally bright green eyes were misted with tears streaming down his face as he softly spoke. "Your right, I really screwed up, but, I'm going to do whatever it takes to make this right, I have to, Rotor, your right, I should have been there for him, I need to tell him I'm sorry, and I'll need everyone's help, please Rotor, just help me find him."

Rotor felt guilty at ripping into Sonic now, he made a mistake and thinking back, it could have easily happened to him, he was still angry, but his anger had no point to focus on, until he remembered that minx, she was out hunting Tails, she would do fine, he patted Sonic on the back and awkwardly started. "Listen,.. I didn't entirely mean everything I said, it's just, I was angry, I should have probably asked you about it first." Sonic looked up a small smile on, at least someone had forgiven him; Sally cleared her throat and was looking with a critical eye at Rotor when she spoke. "So you're saying you wouldn't have reacted in the same way, how can you be sure?" Rotor sighed, Sally was already suspicious and she would keep digging until she found it, he explained to the both of them how Tails had told him, and about Tails old life, at the end they just looked sad, Sonic felt even worse about himself and now Sally felt like she had murdered her own son. Sally spoke up, clear decision in her voice "Were going to find him, I'll have that Minx's squad dismantled immediantly and we'll start sending out search parties, we'll send Bunny and Antoine to where he was last to see if they can follow his trail, Don't worry, were going to find him." The others in the room all gave thumbs up and Sally left to get started, Rotor and Sonic eyed each other, it was awkward, they both sighed, and looked away, before Rotor turned to leave. "Thanks" Was all Sonic said and Rotor couldn't help but smile as he left to help Sally.

Far away a fox was waking to the first stinging beams of sunlight, he could probably go another two days before needing any blood, but he might as well get it done sooner rather than later, he unwound his tails from around the outside of his duster as he jumped down from his tree he had slept in. The smell hit him instantly and his mouth watered, beans, bacon, and sausage, he ran to the smell and saw Max cooking while Mike was drooling telling him to go faster and Tab was rolling up her and the others sleeping bags. Now in the bright morning sun they all turned to face the newcomer, they saw him licking his lips and noticed two tails waving directly behind him, they did a double take and Tails instantly knew he had forgotten to make it look like one tail, he mentally cringed waiting for the barrage of questions or looks of disgust. "Two tails…Neat!" was the coyote Mike's reply as he refocused his attention on the food, Tab tilted her head to one side for a second, shrugged and then kept rolling up her sleeping bag. Max practically had question marks visible above his head, and would have likely let the food burn if Mike didn't keep poking him to ask if it was ready.

Tails walked closer to the glorious smells wafting directly towards him and he stopped and spoke aloud. "Good morning, there's enough to go around right?" He asked in a worried tone, everyone else laughed and motioned for him to come over as the pan was taken off the fire and Mike tried to grab a still sizzling sausage and yelped when he burnt his hand. Max slapped him in the back of the head and chuckled at his friend as he scooped equal portions onto everyone's plate and passed them to their respective person. Max started his questions just as Tails had lifted his fork ready for his first bite, Tails cried inwardly, it looked so good, so very very good. "So Duster, two tails huh, that's pretty unique, never heard of anything like that before, can you move them both at the same time, is one shorter than the other, what's it feel like uh OWWW what was that for Tab!" Tab had kicked him in the leg and was glaring daggers as she spoke her voice eerily calm. "It's not polite to ask those sorts of questions Max, plus he hasn't eaten yet, also if you do that again, well, you still remember the tree? I think we could get there in under an hour."

Max went ghost white and shook his head vigorously while Mike was howling with laughter, spitting bits of food out as he remembered the event. Tails looked straight at Tab curiosity evident on his face, She spoke up again a bit of laughter in her voice. "Max got stuck in a tree. For two days. Upside down. By his tail." They all laughed at that with the exception of Max who was relieving his least favorite moment in his life. After laughter subsided they finished eating, Tails and Mike licking their plates clean, Tails didn't need food, but he hadn't had anything taste even a tenth that good in a very long time, it was that point the conversations started. "So Duster, where were you before running into us" It was Tab asking and he spoke out loud before his brain could register. "Knothole" Everyone ground to a stop and Tails instantly saw his mistake, they would ask questions, and he really did not want to answer questions about that place, and least of all about a certain hedgehog. "Wait you were at Knothole? And you left, why?" It was Max looking as if someone had just told him all squares secretly have a fifth side, Tails sighed as he spoke, thinking of the vaguest possible answers.

"I had a difference of opinion" The others looked all the more confused, at eight years old he had left one of the safest places left on Mobius over a so called difference of opinion, the pacing of the questions quickened. "So did you get to meet the princess, was she cute." It was Mike and he was slapped in the back of the head by both Max and Tab. "I met her, she was…nice." Next up was Max again "You didn't go on missions while you were there. Did you?" Tails laughed a bit, he had always dreamt of going on missions, he really hated being treated like a kid all the time, though in truth getting read stories to was pretty nice. "No, not really, usually just a lookout." Then the question came from Tab, the question he had least wanted to hear, the others groaned as she asked well aware of her crush on the fastest thing alive. "So what is Sonic like, did you ever get to see him?" The others had kept walking but they turned back to see Tails just standing there, fists curled, teeth gritted and an aura of utter hatred suddenly exploding out of the child, the others were terrified and stunned as he spoke, a very vicious answer of "Yes, I knew him" anger dripped off every letter as he slowly calmed down and started walking to catch up. The others hadn't really moved and were just glancing between themselves nervously as Tails walked up rubbing the back of his head and grinning sheepishly. "Sorry if I freaked you guys out, It's not something I enjoy talking about." The others nodded their approval as they kept walking the air extremely tense, until Mike spoke up. "So how is the food in Knothole?" Everyone laughed out loud again, Mike would be the only one still focused on food as they continued walking. Unbeknownst to them a very angry Minx had just been kicked out of New Knothole, she blamed a certain vampire of course and it was pure coincidence she was walking down the exact same trail in the direction that a group of three people were also walking on. Her rifle was shining brightly in the mid day light as it bobbed up and down on her back as she kicked up the dust of the trail, murder in her eyes, when she found the fox vampire, she would tear him apart.


	7. Chapter 7

After reading I have decided to keep the story going and it will not end in three to four chapter. Waits for applause but hears crickets.

Anyways this is a very important chapter story wise, read ahead and I hope you enjoy. Please review or continue to review

all you awesome people out their. I don't own Sonic Sega or any characters all right and things belong ot them.

* * *

The moon was high in the sky, about half way to a new moon, the stars were veiled behind ghostly wisps of cloud and in a clearing stood a blood drenched fox. At his feet lay a hedgehog, blue, the blood was pouring from a myriad of gaping wounds and it stained the grass a sharp crimson, the fox was huffing heavily a proud smile on his face, it felt good to watch him bleed, deep in his heart he felt some guilt, but it was overwhelmed by his sense of accomplishment, he had killed him, and it felt good. Tails jerked awake eyes flying open and taking a sharp intake of air, he shivered, his fur stood on end and his eyes were wide open, he wiped them and felt some moisture falling from the corners, it was not a dream he wanted to see, he stood up on his branch he had again slept on and hopped down hoping a night walk would do him some good. He remembered the scene of Sonic dying, he hated the hedgehog, hated his former brother, but he still felt for him, he would never kill him, would he? He shook his head, it wasn't a pleasant train of thought to be aboard, what was Sonic to him now he wondered, a former brother, a bitter friend, or a hated enemy, enemy he thought was a term best reserved for Robotnik, trying to apply it to the hedgehog just didn't seem right.

He sighed and sat on a nearby log, the moss crept up its sides and it was damp, two facts which went completely unnoticed by the twin tailed fox. What life could he have, he had tried not to think about it since he was forced from Knothole, he didn't want to wander forever, he wanted a home, a place where people knew him and accepted him, but at this moment that dream seemed as far away as the moon, he looked up at the moon and whispered into the cold night time air. "Why can't I be free, why do I have to work so hard for everyone else when they just toss me aside like garbage. Is their anyplace where I would belong? Stupid Sonic, I don't need him or anybody else, I'm Duster, and I can do anything I want!" His fists were clenched and his words loud, but they were without conviction, he wanted Sonic to be his brother, wanted his room and time spent flying with Dulcy, wanted aunt Bunny and Sally, but he knew all he could do was want, there was no way of getting his wish. He walked back towards the camp his travelling partners had set up, he was wary in his mind about using the word friends, he didn't want that pain again so soon, as he approached he heard a rustling in the brush, It was a good way in front him so he stepped to the side and watched where he had heard the sound.

A familiar face poked out of the brush and Tails had to grasp his mouth to keep himself from shouting, it was Antoine, his mind was doing backflips and questions were streaming out of his head. "Why was he out here? Was he looking for me? Was he here to kill me? Could it just be coincidence?" He was unsure and he saw him stumble about and heard him curse at the root that had nearly tripped him, he was on a direct course for their camp if Tails didn't do something, being seen wasn't an option, or was it, could he just scare the cowardly coyote away? His thoughts were interrupted by a very surprising yell from Antoine "Mike, are zu their, you will be coming out zis instant" Mike entered the scene obviously just having been woken up by Antoine and looked at him before running up and giving the noticeably shorter coyote a bear hug. "Hey ya Antoine. Long time no see eh, how's my favourite half-brother doing eh?" Tails almost fell over, since when had Antoine had a half-brother, not to mention they were about as similar as trees and turnips, basically the same family, one was as formal and cleanly as could be and the other still scratched his ear with his foot, an action that had caused the unprepared Tails to burst out laughing at the time he saw Mike do it. "Ah yes, it iz good to see you, but I need to be asking of you the favour? Weez at Knothole have been looking for someone and we would like youz to keep ze sharp eye out for zem." Tails had a very bad feeling in his gut, he could bet who it was they were looking for, and he heard Mike laugh and saw him noogie Antoine as he spoke up. "Sure Ant, you could have just sent a letter by bird like you normally do you know. So who is it were looking for, one of your young recruits get lost or something?" Here it comes, Tails could see the intake of air from Antoine as he opened his mouth and said exactly what he had feared. "Zear iz a two tailed fox about, iz name is Tails and he may be dangerous, If youz zee him sent a letter right way." Mike had stopped noogieing him and was looking at him with a screwed face, clearly thinking heavily as he spoke.

"Actually we just picked up a two tailed fox, he's only a kid though. He did say he had lived at Knothole but that he left, he's sleeping right around here actually, you don't think it's the same fox do you?" At the mention Tails might be nearby you could see Antoine tense and begin looking about nervously, Tails sighed his cover was destroyed, He cursed himself for being so stupid, he turned ready to flee into the forests when he heard Antoine's shout "Tailz, are zou there! Sonic iz looking for youz, he sayz he iz ze idiot and wishes to apologize!" Tails stopped, hope hit him like and ocean wave, it was too good, far and away to good, could he go back, could him and Sonic be brothers again and he live happily, the prospect was so tempting Tails found himself stepping out from behind his hiding tree and meekly coughing to get Antoine's attention, Antoine heard the noise and immediately jumped, but when he saw Tails before him his knees were shaking. Antoine had liked Tails, they were friends, but Tails being some frightening monster was defiantly a strain on their relationship, he looked into his eyes however and found them to be the same eyes he had remembered, his knees stopped shaking and he took a step forward just as a loud shot rang out and Tails collapsed to the forest floor falling at an awkward angle to his left. Tails had been shot, not deeply because the second he had heard the sound he moved as quick as he was able to his right, the bullet cut a gash across his left side and a trickle of blood was falling from it as he quickly picked himself up and ran, he cursed himself for being stupid, cursed himself for trusting Antoine, and cursed himself most of all for trusting Sonic's words.

Antoine and Mike had hit the ground each covering their heads as they heard a symphony of curse words be yelled out from above them, they turned their gaze up and saw in a nearby tree a minx slinging a sniper rifle on her back and taking off into the woods. Antoine was no genius, but he quickly realized the significance of what just happened, Tails would think he had been betrayed again and this time there would be no reasoning with him, he wouldn't trust a single word any of them said from now on, he had recognized the minx as the one from Knothole and was already cursing out at her in very aggressive French. How would he tell Sonic that Tails would never willingly come to Knothole now, that he was probably seething in hate at this very instant over another betrayal, Antoine felt sorry for Tails, he really wished he could help him, he picked himself and Mike up as he spoke. "Mike eez time zou came to Knothole, eez not safe and weez can really use zour hand." Mike was in thought, he hadn't gone to Knothole when the war first began for one reason, he hated crowds, three was OK if you knew who they were, but the thought of an entire village of people sent a shiver down Mike's spine. Antoine saw it and was aware of Mike's problem and quickly spoke up. "We az a place for zou on ze outskirt, not many peoplez would come by, weez would not even tellz anyone you were there." Mike nodded after a lengthy pause, after all he could just leave if he didn't enjoy it, he walked off to gather Tab and Max and tell them of the night time events as a good distance away a bleeding fox nursed his wound.

He was seething, he was furious, and he was depressed, there was no happy ending, all of Knothole was out for blood with assassins and trying to lure him out with old faces, he wouldn't fall for it ever again he promised himself, his heart was cold and his thoughts dark as he thought of Knothole and Sonic, he had his answer, if he met Sonic. One of them would die. He cleaned his wound in the rivers cool water and thought of revenge, thought of abandoning all hope and becoming the animal it would be so easy to become, he smiled as he thought of the blood, but frowned when he saw the faces, he swore, even now he couldn't bring himself to let go and become the killer his blood screamed out for him to become. Robotnik, he thought of the fat tyrant, the world would be a better place without him, would killing him even count as a crime, no, he deserved death, his death would save lives and give others happiness, happiness that he could never have, he wouldn't become an animal, but he was tired, tired of for so many years resisting the urge to kill, this was a gift he could give Rotor, Robotnik's death. The deed was justified in the fox's mind and his gaze turned in the direction of Robotropolis as he moved himself out of the river, he made a vow, he would slay Robotnik and savour the taste of his blood, but he would do it to help others he told himself, he would direct his hatred and anger for a purpose, after all he was still a Freedom Fighter and what was the goal of all Freedom Fighters, to dethrone Robotnik and liberate Mobius, once he was dead he knew Sally would take care of the rest, and he would wander unhappy until he died, but he would die as the one who freed Mobius. He set off Robotropolis in the distant horizon as his heart tried as it could to keep from blackening any further, but as he walked another thought came to the foxes mind, one which would have only an hour earlier have caused great alarm to Tails. "After Robotnik's gone, then I'll go pay a visit to Sonic, and he'll pay, he'll feel what he's done to me and he will beg for mercy and I'll…. I'll rip him apart!" Tails roared the last part into the cold night air as he set off towards Robotropolis murder in his eyes and heart as black as the sky.


	8. Chapter 8

Another chapter is up and damn it feels good. A little slow this one because I'm building steam for a bit of epicness in the next few chapters.

I really hope you enjoy it and hope ypu either continue or start to review. You people are completely awesome. Without further adieu. I do not own Sonic Sega and

all rights and characters belong to them.

* * *

Sonic was pacing, that is to say relative to himself, relative to the observers he was sprinting back and forth, he was waiting for Antoine to come back, when the coyote had told him he was leaving to help find Tails by talking to some friends outside of Knothole Sonic was shocked, how did Antoine have friends outside of Knothole. He was doubly shocked when he told them that he had a half-brother who was wandering about with a group, why hadn't they come to Knothole, Sonic had no clue and hadn't bothered asking, more people out looking for Tails was a good thing he thought, and it was at this time he saw Antoine's head come bobbing over the horizon. Sonic stood tapping his foot and quickly realized Antoine was being accompanied by three others, a coyote, a ferret and a cat, they held his interest for only a second before Sonic prepared to question Antoine but the distraught look on the coyotes face hushed him quickly as he stood before Sonic, he looked nervous, actually all coyotes present looked uncomfortable, the other two were looking around at the scenery. "Sonic I av ze terrible news. Tailz iz thinking uz the traitors after zat orrid minx attacked im. He thinks weez are to blame, I do not think he will be joining us again, he zinks we are trying to kill im!" Antoine was panting now, he had blurted it all out because he knew if he waited he would never be able to tell Sonic the horrible news, the look on Sonic's face was one of anger and he rent off into a rant cursing the minx with more swear words and graphic descriptions of what he would do if he got his hands on her than there were leaves on the trees. When he calmed himself he turned to Antoine and spoke calmly. "Ant, show me the last place you saw him, I'm healed up now and the doc discharged me so I have no excuse for not taking off, I'll get some others and we will leave in an hour."

A distance away a bird was chirping happily on a branch, very happily in fact, and for one fox far too happily, he jumped at the branch scaring the bird away, it was quiet now and Tails let out a sigh. How to kill Robotnik was the thought on his mind, and despite popular belief it wasn't nearly as easy as one would assume, as the Freedom Fighter had discovered Robotnik was almost never physically in his fortress, a rather convincing mechanical proxy was used at all times and surrounded by extreme levels of security. The real Robotnik would rarely oversee projects but there was no way to tell if it was actually him or just another proxy, finding and ending the real Robotnik would prove and extreme challenge, luckily Tails thought with a faint and sad grin. "I have all the time in the world" Maybe if he trashed Robotnik's proxy and fortress he would show up to fix it and then he could deal with him, it was unlikely, he continued thinking as he lowered himself down to sit on a hill overlooking Robotropolis, the grass was moist and he found himself laying in it and watching the clouds with a scowl, they all looked like Sonic, he hated that face, it only reminded him of everything he had lost. He closed his eyes, tired of seeing the face of his betrayer copied a hundred fold in white, killing Robotnik would be difficult, maybe, he blanked the thought, it was ridiculous, Robotnik would never fall for it, he would need to be the most egomaniacal….Tails stopped himself right there, this plan might work after all he thought with a sly smile running across his features.

Max the ferret was taking in New Knothole, he was loving it, people, bathrooms, and a lab, he was an insanely curious ferret and when he heard of Rotor and his lab he had asked directions and raced off leaving Tab and a nervous Mike behind. Mike loathed crowds, he was paranoid at the best of times and being around so many strangers, "it was not comfortable" would be a massive understatement, anyone of them could be concealing a knife and be ready to attack him and end his life, all it took was one, his breathing grew heavier as he took a step back and headed back to the hut the trio had been given. Tab watched Mike leave with a regretful sigh, she knew how much he hated crowds, one on one with a stranger he saw he was fine, he knew if something went wrong he would have a chance to fight, but against a sea of strangers where his back was exposed, he would rather have dove head first out of an airplane with only an umbrella to slow his descent. Tab couldn't do anything for Mike so she walked off in the direction Max had went to see what kind of trouble the ever curious ferret had gotten himself in to, and when she approached Rotors lab he could already tell it was a lot by the loud and angry yelling coming from the building.

A rather angry looking walrus threw the door to his laboratory open and threw an upside down Max straight out into the street, Tab was holding her breath to keep herself from a laughing fit, Rotor yelled out as he slammed the door behind him and went back inside. "And if I ever catch you trying to steal my things I'll run you out of Knothole personally!" Max was in a tangled heap and had a sheepish grin as Tab stood over him. "Max, what did you do?" Tab knew Max was far to curious and was of the mindset investigate now and apologise later, he knew stealing wasn't one of his talents however, likely he had snuck into the lab and was viewing whatever was inside when Rotor had walked in and mistook him for a thief. Tab sighed as she helped Max up and dragged him towards the door with him struggling all the way, she would apologize for him and then make him apologize, it was the normal order of operations whenever Max met someone new, she knocked and the same Walrus answered and his eyes were watching Max the entire time. "Hi, there! Listen I'm really sorry if my friend gave you the wrong impression, he's really not so bad a guy. Anyways I wanted to apologize for him before he had his chance to apologize. Oh and my names Tab in case you were curious." She had attempted to seem as friendly as possible and thought she had done quite well for herself, she turned and glared at Max and he spoke up barely audible and mumbled out his apology. Rotor had softened and invited them into his workshop, though he kept a close eye on Max as he spoke up, his voice tired. "Sorry about throwing you out I've just been under a lot of stress lately, one of my friends left Knothole and were out looking for him now."

Tab caught on instantly and Max was preoccupied from a small device on one of Rotors workbenches, she thought about how to word it but decided the quick approach would be best, she hastily explained the how they had met Tails and what had happened, Rotor hadn't heard the full details of the incident and was shocked by how bad it seemed, he remained quiet for a few moments. "Do either of you know the specifics of why he was forced out of Knothole?" Rotor asked and Tab and Max shared a look and Max spoke up. "Actually he only said he had a difference of opinion and decided to leave. That and he has some sort of grudge against Sonic." Rotor chuckled lightly, a grudge was a bit of an understatement and everyone present understood that, Rotor decided that if they were going to help then they should be fully briefed on the details, it only seemed fair in his mind, he began. "Yeah, a grudge is putting it mildly, they were like brothers, and when Tails "condition" was found out Sonic reacted badly and so did most of Knothole, he had to leave. His condition is something I'm sure you've heard of but I doubt you ever believed in it….It's vampirism. Tails is a vampire." Rotor stopped and observed their reactions, Tab was sceptical looking, a look of "yeah I'm sure" plastered clearly on her face, Max on the other hand could be seen turning it over in his head and thinking the matter threw, he eventually nodded and said In a solemn tone. "Poor guy" Rotor was confused over Max's reaction and opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by Max already expecting what he had been about to say.

"You wouldn't have said something so ridiculous if it wasn't true, and it did explain a bit about how he was so unlike an eight year old. He could have attacked us at any point in any of the nights he was with us and since he didn't and you referred to him as a friend and not a former friend I can assume he isn't some bloodthirsty monster. He seemed sad the whole time I knew him, it was subtle but defiantly there, it seems like a whole string of mistakes and accidents to me all that's happened. Never the less I'll definitely give you my aid!" Max concluded and Rotor and Tab were in shock, he always seemed absent minded, Tab had just assumed this meant there was little going on inside of his head, she couldn't have been further from the truth, Max was actually extremely perceptive and intelligent, his foil was the fact that he could be clumsy and refused to plan ahead, much like a certain hedgehog Rotor thought with a smile as he went over to shake the ferret's hand. If Max was joining up for something and although Tab was sceptical she would not allow herself to be left out of the loop. She to shook Rotors hand and afterwards some minor conversation ensued before Max and Tab took their leave and left to find Mike and see if he had calmed down yet.

It left Rotor alone and he continued packing some essentials for the hunt for Tails, he grabbed a stun gun he had built and hoped he wouldn't need to use it, though being honest with himself he was uncertain if it would even work on the undead Tails, he placed it into and shut his bag the last item now packed before rapid knocking was heard upon his door. Bag in hand he ran over and pulled the door open to reveal Sally a mild look of concern on her face as she spoke. "Rotor we need you at HQ, Chuck has a message for us and he wants us all there to hear it, it doesn't sound like it's going to be good news. Also we haven't mentioned to him about Tails being a vampire yet so once he's done I'd like you to tell him because you seem the most….at rest with it." Rotor nodded in compliance as they headed off to the largest hut in New Knothole which was serving as an HQ, they had gotten back most of the equipment that had been lost in Robotnik's raid and one of the central components of their HQ was a large monitor which now bore the metallic face of Uncle Chuck on it. "Good Rotor you're here. I have some news and if it's one of your plans Sal I think it's ridiculous, it's dangerous and he could be killed at any moment" Sally as well as all those assembled there had an equally confused expression and when Chuck noticed it he let out a heavy sigh, he had hoped it was a plan, a foolish plan, so when he spoke his voice held all the emotion of his body, cold and dead. "Tails has joined Robotnik and he's planning an invasion of New Knothole"


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9 is up and it is a biggie. Read on. Thank you for reviewing and please continue to do so, I did notice a new reviewer you know who you are, and thank you.

lets not waste anymore time, I do not own Sonic or Sega all rights and characters belong to them.

* * *

It was cold, dark, and held a smell of burning oil, it was Robotnik's main fortress and as Tails walked down its halls the swat-bots remained silent, he held a scowl on his face attempting to look menacing, though inside he was smiling, his plan was so far working and Robotnik had allowed him in. It hadn't been all that hard to convince him, he simply walked up to the first swat-bot he saw and told it he wanted and audience with Robotnik to discuss a deal, it had taken him and though he could have escaped anytime he chose, he was soon held in place before the mountainous tyrant. Robotnik had the most curious look on him as he spoke; Tails remembered the conversation in detail.

"So, the little fox has decided to pay the good doctor a visit, why I'm honoured, so tell me little fox why did you leave that collection of vermin called the freedom fighters and come to see me?" Tails replied and he didn't need to fake a tone in his voice and truth was in his eyes when he spoke. "I want to kill Sonic; I want him dead and begging for mercy before I end him." Robotnik let the shock on his face show for only in instant before he covered it up and banged his fist on the console next to him. "Ha. Preposterous, you a child want Sonic dead; I would have been more likely to believe Snively was a martial arts expert." Tails spoke again in his cold voice and Robotnik felt a small shiver creep up the back of his neck. "I'm not as young as I look, I am in fact older than you Robotnik, and yes I want Sonic dead, he betrayed me, used me and threw me away when it was convenient and I will kill him with or without your aid. Oh and if you think I'm bluffing have one of your Robots run a medical scan on me, I think you'll find the results surprising." The last part got his attention, it was a mystery and Robotnik loved ripping open a mystery and exposing it, he clicked a series of buttons on his console and a thin blue light shone out of his egg shaped throne and ran itself over Tails, when it was done Robotnik read the reading's and felt his heart miss a beat. It said the subject was dead, no heartbeat or pulse, he turned a nervous eye at whatever stood in front of him and repeated the test, he knew there was no flaw in his machine, he had designed it himself, he motioned with his hands to allow Tails to proceed with his offer now fully interested. "I already told you what I want most, but in addition I want at least a sixth of Robotropolis to do with as I please, and I return…..I'll show you were the Freedom fighters are hiding." Robotnik pretended to turn it over in his head, he would accept and when his part of the bargain came up he would betray the fox, it all seemed perfect, he agreed and the two began discussing details, Tails vampirism, plans for the attack of New Knothole, and a rather disturbing conversation on how to mutilate a hedgehog.

Tails was walking through the halls and thinking how perfectly he had played it, he had given Robotnik a perfect false location, one of the other back up towns encase Knothole was ever destroyed, he would find it and realize he had been tricked, but by that time he would have hacked into Robotniks network and uncovered his real location, and then, Tails licked his lips just thinking about it. He had reached the door he had been looking for, he pressed a side panel and it slid open revealing a rather large room with a bed and desk as well as a bathroom connected directly to the room, he closed the door behind him and settled down on the bed hands behind his head. It was going well, he would kill Robotnik, set up the rest of Robotnik's systems to recognize Sally as the administrator so she could begin rebuilding Mobius, and after that, he would meet up with Sonic, just thinking of the hedgehog brought a growl to his lips and his claws slid out as he jumped off the bed and punched the cold metallic wall, it dented. He held his fist in the dent as he remembered the times they spent together; he kept telling his past self to not trust him, that he would betray you, but his past self just went on, it enraged Tails, the memories of when he had called him little bro, when they shared a chilidog or would just relax and stare at the clouds, all those memories were tainted by a bullet. He would deal with Sonic later, for now he had to play the part until he could get into Robotnik's main room and hack his console, his thought was interrupted as an intercom he hadn't noticed buzzed to life and the voice of Robotnik came through.

"My fine associate, I believe I have captured a spy and I would like your help in dealing with it, I've set up a lighted trail on the hallway floor so you should be able to find us easily, come immediately" Tails was stunned, he hadn't anticipated a spy, what if it was someone he knew and Robotnik made him…his thoughts trailed off he didn't want to go there, he knew he had to listen so he left his room and just as Robotnik had said a light red trail was visible on the floor and Tails began following it. He arrived in the prison area and there was Robotnik, arms crossed waiting expectantly a depraved grin on his face as he saw Tails approach, motioned with his hands and Tails followed him to a now occupied cell, Tails noticed how cold the bars looked and how dimly lit it was in here, and then he noticed the Mobian and his hands curled into fists as he sighted laying on the cold ground a minx. It was the one that had held a gun to his head, hell it was probably the same one that had shot him he thought, and here she was, a prisoner in Robotnik's fortress, Tails couldn't think of a more suitable place for her to be. "So my friend, what do we do with her huhhm? Perhaps a trip to the Roboticizer, or would you prefer to deal with her more personally, you told me it had been awhile since you last fed?" It was true Tails thought, he was hungry, and for one who hated vampires it would be perfect irony for her to become one, or at the very least he could exact some amount of revenge on her before sending her to the Roboticizer, he was still thinking when the minx spoke up.

"Well come on, I already know what a sick bastard like you is going to do, so get it over with. Come on I'm full of blood that a monster like you is just itching to get at so. GET A FUCKING MOVE ON!" Tails was angered further, she had called him a monster, he hated the word, he loathed it to his deepest core, his mind was made up, the minx would die, he wouldn't turn her, she didn't deserve any form of life, he went towards the door and Robotnik quickly gave a voice command and it swung open. Her arms and legs were tied and she lay there on the floor looking straight into his eyes, he could smell her scent and for once he didn't try to restrain himself, his fangs slid out and his claws went to their fullest length, he could already taste her blood and he ran a nail across her spine and she shivered, she was tough, but this was torture, he bent down on one knee to look her straight in the eye as he spoke, his voice was cold and a slight sadistic note was in it. "So look how the roles have changed. It doesn't feel very good to have your fate in the hands of another now does it? I tried…..for so long to be something I'm not, a good guy. You showed me what I really am, come on say it, call me a monster one more time before you die." She looked frightened now, she was sweating, she didn't want to die, she was struggling with her bindings, this was it she thought, I'm going to die, she shut her eyes and waited to feel the blood come pouring out, except the pain never came. Tails had his fangs hovering and inch from her throat and was about to tear into her when a thought came to his head, what if Rotor walked in, would he understand? He looked down at the quivering minx and felt a pang of guilt, he still wanted to hurt her, to hurt someone the way he had been hurt, yet he couldn't bring himself to do it, it confused and annoyed him, he wanted to scream their and then, he wasn't a monster no matter how much he wanted to be, no matter how simple it would have been it just wasn't him.

He stood up and walked calmly to Robotnik and tore his head clean off, a shower of sparks came from it showing itself to be a robotic double, he left the cell door open and cut her bindings slightly with his claws, just enough that she would be able to get out herself eventually and walked back into the halls. The robots this time opened fire on him, he easily dodged and made his way out of the base, if any robot stood in his way it was reduced to scrap metal in an instant as he continued on. He walked into the sun and felt its sting, he was miserable, he had no place, not as a villain and not as a hero, his existence had no merit, he looked up from his feet and had his eyes widen, and then narrow, for a shadow was cast and it ended directly in front of him, and at the shadows base stood a hedgehog, blue quills wavering in the breeze. Sonic's eyes looked sad seeing his brother before him, he could see pain in the fox's eyes so clearly it broke the hedgehogs heart he opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by the Tails tight grip on his had moved fast and held Sonic in the air by his throat, his grip was iron and Sonic was trying to break the stranglehold. Tails emotions had imploded, he wasn't sure of himself anymore, he couldn't kill the minx and he wasn't even sure he could kill Sonic, the true target of all his anger and betrayal, tears started falling down his face as he started asking why and lowered Sonic to the ground and begun punching him in furiously in the face. "WHY?WHY,WHY,WHY,WHY!" Sonic wasn't fighting back and this only angered Tails more as he continued punching him, he was drawing blood now and it was staining his knuckles, but he didn't care about the blood, what mattered was his former brother before him.

He finished with a large punch to the face that sent Sonic a flying to the ground as Tails caught his breath, Sonic stood up and coughed out some blood as he tried to speak. "T..ails, I'm So..r.y, I…was wrong, please, just talk to me." Tails couldn't talk, he was choking up, Sonic had said he was sorry, he was about to take a step forward, about to trust, when he remembered the bullet, it had to be another trap, that was the only explanation that made sense, but why hadn't it been sprung yet, why hadn't they tried to shoot Tails again and protect Sonic, his mind was reeling, the ground was shaking and his vision was blurring. The transport at this point had arrived and out of it came Max, the one who had suggested Sonic run ahead, Tails hardly noticed him and Sonic was entirely focused on breaking through to Tails, so he didn't hear Max approach behind him, he didn't hear the cocking of the trigger, and only barely heard the blast of the bullet, but he felt the searing pain as it was buried deep into his chest. Sonic stared in disbelief at Max who had a sad expression on his face as he collapsed to the ground, Tails ran and caught Sonic and ran with him away from Max, he had no idea what was going on, he carried Sonic, he couldn't allow Sonic to die, not after he had apologized, not after it looked like happiness was attainable. Max watched them leave with the same sad expression as he walked into Robotnik's fortress and set to work on his plan, the plan that Max had foreseen nearly two centuries earlier, with most of the Robots cleared by Tails it was a simple task for Max to reach the main console and the remaining robots showed no reaction to this presence. He settled into the chair and spoke, his voice cold and sad but filled with conviction. "Computer, activate Sengir Protocol, and begin operation endgame." The computer responded with a buzz before its mechanical voice replied. "Sengir Protocol in place, welcome back master Max" He smiled a hollow and sad smile and settled into the chair, his work was just beginning.


	10. Chapter 10

10 Chapters, my god, I never imagined it would go this long, I am excited to deliver this chapter

and notcied another new reviewer thank you so much. Please continue to review or review for the first time.

So here it is. I do not own Sonic or sega or any characters, all rights and characters belong to them.

* * *

He had stopped running, he was trying to stem the flow of blood from his chest, it was staining his blue fur a sickening purple and kept running through his fingers and falling to the ground in soft drips, the dirt was reddening as was his hands and the smell of blood permeated the area as Sonic hero of Mobius was taking shallow and wavering breaths. Tails was trying to think, to save him, to stop the blood flow, but it was useless, he was no doctor, and even if he had been he had nothing to work with, so he only held the hedgehogs head on his lap as he desperately tried to hold the blood from falling out, Knothole was to distant and running any more than he already had would only tear the wound further and spell immediate death for Sonic. Tails couldn't think, he had thick tears streaming down his face as he looked down at the hedgehog who had been a brother, all his hate for him had vanished when he was shot, it was replaced by worry, Sonic looked up into Tails bright blue eyes which were wet with tears and gave a smile. "Hey…lil bro, don't look so worried." He gasped it out and blood had come out with every second word, Tails was trying to shush him, begging him not to talk and save his strength, but Sonic ignored it and started talking again tears falling from his own green eyes as he held the smile and spoke through his blood stained lips.

"You ran so fast. If I'm not careful you'll be faster than me soon. I'm sorry Tails, …ACK..huff, huff, I wasn't the brother you deserved." He was coughing up more blood now and it was soaking into Tails lap as he tried to speak to Sonic, he couldn't get his voice above a whisper. "It's okay Sonic; you're the best brother I ever had. You always helped me and taught me to try and be a better person, to not give up or give in. I forgive you" Sonic's smile widened at the words, he was forgiven, it was what mattered most to him at this moment and another tear slid down his face and dampened the ground, he started coughing and more blood spattered out staining much of Tails white chest patch crimson. Sonic stopped and let out a shudder as Tails rubbed his back with his free hand, Sonic was going to die, the thought hit like a truck and a fresh stream of tears fell onto the Sonics face, Sonic spoke up, voice cracking and him choking on the blood as he tried to get it out. "Tai…ls…remember, that..ti…me in th, e hotspring….hat was my favourite….time. I wish…w…e could go..ba..k there." Tails couldn't let Sonic die, he was his brother, he meant so much, he couldn't die, the tears were running from both their faces now and the ground surrounding the two was awash of tears and blood, he had to think of something, anything to save Sonic, there had to be away. Tails replied, his voice caught in sniffles and tears. "Sonic, you…you were the best person I ever met, you made me want to help people, you made me believe that I could be the good guy, and it was all I wanted, to be like you. A hero who everyone respected, and loved because he always did the right thing. So Sonic DON'T DIE SONIC PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME!"

Sonic stirred and started to sit up, Tails applied more pressure to keep anymore blood from being lost, but it was futile effort, Sonic cast limp arms around Tails in a hug and Tails abandoned his grip on the wound and returned the hug, the blood was flowing free and it was falling in a thickened stream staining Tails and Sonic's fur further. Then Sonic's arms went completely limp as Sonic whispered one last thing into Tails ear before he fell sideways and the little light in his eyes fell to only a flicker. "I love you little bro" Tails couldn't take it, he was helpless, Sonic was almost dead and he couldn't do anything about it, he felt the weight of the world press in on him and could feel everything darken when a thought came to his mind, a desperate thought, he leaned in closely to see if it was still there, and it was, the faintest of breathing, he had a chance. He gingerly bit into Sonic's neck and restrained himself from taking a single drop of the blood himself, he let the saliva drip into the small pinprick sized holes he had made and sat back and waited. It was the longest shot, if he had thought of it sooner it definitely would have worked, but now he was unsure, Sonic wouldn't survive, he was already dead at this instant and as the last spark had left his eyes the world already seemed a darker place, but he would awake, he had too, he would awake and be just as Tails was, a vampire, it was all he could think of to save him.

So Tails continued to cover the wound and sat next to him and waited, it had taken a day for Tails to awaken, so he sat and waited, he spoke to the body, sharing a chuckle about brighter times, but it didn't respond, and so he continued to wait through the setting sun and through the burn of the early morning rays. His hope had faded but would not be extinguished, the wound had stopped bleeding and he held on, he held on for hope that Sonic would stir, that he would suddenly gasp in air and the all would be well, he held on for his brother who needed him. His legs were cramped beyond belief and his back ached and the sun was burning into him, but he refused to move, refused to abandon his brother, and it was about midday when he felt it, a faint stir on his hand. Tails eyes focused instantly and hope welled inside of him, he felt it again, and there it was his fingers twitched just slightly, his eyelids had just moved just moved, and then it came as Sonic's eyes flew open, a bloodcurdling scream of pain unimaginable. Tails instantly realized the mistake, Sonic was in sunlight and smoke was rising off the blue heroes form, Tails quickly picked him up and ran him into the shadows of the nearby trees and finally removed his hand from atop the wound, it was little more than a scar, it had healed during the transformation, and Sonic at last stopped screaming as he looked with red eyes directly into Tails cerulean blue eyes.

Tails snapped, tears of joy poured out of his eyes as he leapt into the embrace of the confused hedgehog, he threw a bone crushing hug around him and Sonic's mind finally clued in who it was hugging him, and he quickly returned the hug. They stayed that way neither wanting to let go and both fearing the other would disappear if they let go, eventually Sonic spoke with confusion in his voice as he ended the hug. "But how, I mean I remember dying, I remember everything going black and then I woke up and it hurt like hell." Tails was looking at his shoe, he had to tell him and it was not going to be a fun conversation, he raised a finger and blurted it out. "I made you a vampire so you're not dead, dead, just you know, undead, dead." Sonic fell over sideways, he couldn't believe it, he was a vampire, his brain was screaming, he quickly calmed himself and reminded himself that he was alive, sort of. He looked back into Tails eyes and could already tell the fox wanted another hug, sighing he opened his arms and the fox jumped into yet another bone crushing hug, Tails was ecstatic, Sonic was alive and that was all that mattered, until a thought hit him like a bat, Max shot Sonic. He pulled out of the hug and was about to run off and hunt Max down when he remembered how bad Sonic was right now, if he stepped into sunlight he would start screaming his head off, and if they ran into anyone who was alive it would be a bloodbath with Sonic now craving blood, he paused to consider his options and came up with a quick fix. "Sonic you stay here, whatever you do don't move. I'm going to grab us a couple of deer so we can get you calmed down." Sonic was confused, what did he mean by calmed down, he felt perfectly calm, that is until he caught a whiff of the pool of blood he had left behind in the clearing and prepared to charge into it, luckily Tails caught his arm and forced him to stay, and keep him from getting fried in the sun. Sonic eventually stopped struggling when he remembered what the sun had done to Tails, Tails let go and again told him to stay as he bolted into the woods using his sharp senses to quickly track down deer.

Sonic was alone, and the blood was so close and it smelt so good, it filled his nostrils and his mind was suddenly filled with chilidogs coated and dripping with blood, he started weighing in his mind if he would be fast enough to run out and get a drink before it started to burn, his thought was interrupted when Tails came back through the bush with three large deer on his back, he set them down in front of Sonic he quickly bit into the first one and began a mad blood frenzy. At the end of it a sizeable pile of bones were on one side of the clearing and a very blue and red hedgehog was licking his fingers, cleaning every drop of blood he could of himself, in the middle of his frenzied meal Tails had left to grab more deer and returned again with three more and the carnage started again, Sonic let out a loud and contented burp and Tails looked a little grossed out. Tails was wondering how it was possible for anything to eat that many deer in 14 minutes, it had been a disturbing sight to witness, but Sonic now looked normal with his deep green eyes, aside from the blood he was still trying to lick off his shoe that is. Tails cleared his throat to get Sonic's attention and then started. "I hope you're feeling better now, but please never do that again, you should try to be careful controlling your hunger or when you run into someone you might hurt them." Sonic was taken aback as he considered what he just did, he looked at the pile of bones and the blood which had literally turned the grass into a swamp of horror, his ears lowered and his shoulders sagged but Tails was quick to throw an arm around his shoulder and perk him up. "Come on don't get that down, I was just saying be careful is all, now I want to go pay a visit to Max and ask him some very important question at claw point" Sonic's back went straight as pole as he grabbed Tails shoulders a sudden look of fear in his eye. "Tails, we have to move quick, Sally, Rotor and Bunny were all on that transport, you don't think….." he trailed off, he prayed he wouldn't get there late and him and Tails quickly took off in the direction of Robotnik's fortress where they were prayed the transport would still be along with all of their friends. Little did they know at this instant their friends were being place into cells at the bottom most portion of Robotnik's fortress as Max was preparing for the arrival of Tails and Sonic, he had the same grim smile on his face he spoke to himself as he stared out the window. "It really is to hard being the good guy"


	11. Chapter 11

I'm back and so is the next installment, I hope you enjoy the action as its not something I normally write. Thanks

yet again to all you perfect people who review, if you are enjoying this and not reviewing for shame, naw I'm not mad but I hope you review

anywho I do not own Sega or Sonic all rights and characters belong to them. PS. Poll on my profile, doesn't meen this is ending soon and I would like your input.

* * *

Max pondered the role he was forced to play, he likened it to a puppet being made to dance, and when the strings were finally cut he continued dancing all the same, his face showed none of his inner turmoil, it was a conversation he had with himself far too often to show pain anymore. He was viewing the horizon from the large window of his fortress, his fortress he chuckled was an odd term, he had complete control of it and had since the death of the real Robotnik almost a full year ago, Max had no trouble tracking him, he knew precisely where he would be and when he would be there, things were too easy for one who could see the future. Max was waiting, he knew the now vampiric Sonic and Tails would be coming over the horizon momentarily, he knew just how they would attempt their rescue, and he knew precisely how they would fail, it was a scene he had viewed almost a century in advance, and besides Max said aloud to the empty room. "Once there gone I'll finally have the future I desire, everyone will be happy, everyone will be equal, no war, no suffering, no illness, it'll be a perfect world with me at its hear for all eternity." Max smiled, the world he had seen long ago in his visions, the world he had carefully directed events to flow towards was finally within his grasp, he regretted many of his actions, but it was all for the best, after Sonic and Tails were gone he would release everyone else and the world everyone wanted could finally begin, and all that stood in its way was a hedgehog and fox.

Sonic and Tails were rocketing towards the fortress, Sonic was having the time of his life, he was faster than ever, the burning aches that rippled across his legs when he ran were gone and the wind against his spines brought feelings of joy, if his friends hadn't been endanger he would have already run off to enjoy the feeling of the wind. Tails wasn't nearly as happy, he was struggling to keep up even at his top speed, he was still overjoyed that Sonic was with him but did he really need to go that fast? They finally reached the fortress and streaks of flame signalled their braking, and when the dust cleared their eyes went wide as they saw standing in front of them, arms crossed behind his back Max with a smile on his face as he waved to them. "I'm glad you made it, sorry about the whole shooting you bit Sonic, but it was just business, I hope you don't hold it against me. But we have a good deal of work to do so let's get started ASAP, your friends are in the dungeon at the bottom of the fortress, my robots should take you to them rather quickly and your all free to leave." Sonic's mouth was wide open, he saw an orange blur suddenly rocket towards Max, Tails met only empty air, and Max stood almost ten feet away grin still on his face. Sonic curled into a spin-dash and charged at Max with his now enhanced speed, he felt the ground rip beneath him and reached where Max was standing in less than a heartbeat, but to Max a heartbeat was eons and he was already sitting on the balcony a good four stories above where he had been. He called down "It's pointless, get your friends out of the dungeon or I might do something we'll all regret" He left an open ended threat, he honestly had no idea what he would do to them, but it was enough motivation for Tails and Sonic to run head first into the fortress, Max sighed, he hated playing villain, couldn't the others understand he just wanted what was best for all of Mobius, still, he had to kill Sonic and Tails, it made him sad, he genuinely liked Tails, he had since he saw the vision almost eighty years ago, and twenty years after that when he first encountered him. Sonic was rash, but heroic, two qualities Max would have killed for, instead he was relegated to planning and sorting through thousands of possible futures and events which led to those futures to carefully select the path that led to his desired goal, the problem being the goal lay beyond the two brothers, he sighed again and started heading down the stairs, preparing for what he full well understood would be his final encounter, the beginning of his new world.

Sonic was uneasy being led through Robotnik's fortress by one of his, as he phrased it. "Tin Cans" Tails was worried beyond measure, how had Max dodged, what was he and how could he have been faster than Sonic, it made no sense, nothing was faster than Sonic, and now being a vampire he was still able to dodge just made it all the more unbelievable, still Tails walked on, as long as he had Sonic he knew they would get their friends, plus it didn't seem like Max wanted to fight, maybe it would be easy after all. The entire building had a dark aura of foreboding running through every hall and crevice, the tapping of their feet as the heroic duo went on echoed in an eerie manner, and as the doors to the elevator they had taken finally reached the bottom most floor and the doors opened up they were greeted to a sight unexpected, a large cavernous room with a single cage positioned directly in the center. The room was well lit and not a shadow was visible, Sonic and Tails had to squint as they approached the cage, and just as Max had promised sat all their friends completely unharmed, Tails quickly ran towards Rotor and attempted to rip the bars straight off, he was stumped when he was unable to, Sally spoke up. "Sonic, its good to see you, what's going on? We were riding to Robotnik's fortress when suddenly everyone started passing out in the transport, then we wake up and were in this cage, I mean I thought Robotnik would have already tried to roboticize us by now?" Tab and Mike both spoke up as well, and both voiced the same question. "Where's Max, he was with us in the transport and he's gone now! You don't think Robotnik got to him do you?" Sonic and Tails shared a look and Bunny the last to speak in the cage spoke up. "Now I know your hiding something sugar hog, and if yall don't tell us I'm gonna bust out this cage and wrangle the truth out of you."

Sonic went to open his mouth but was interrupted by a loud piecing whistle, everyone turned to find its source and saw Max walking slowly towards the cage, a grim look set on his face, Tab and Mike each brightened and were about to yell out when they noticed the look on his face, it wasn't a look they were used to seeing and it caused them to hold their tongues. Sonic and Tails got in a battle stance ready to face off as all manner of questions were being whispered to the duo through the cage bars, all questions were cut off and silenced as Max started. "It's nice to see you Mike, you to Tab, I'm sorry for deceiving you but this is something I have to do, I know you'll forgive me later but for now I'll just have to deal with your anger. Princess Sally I have good news for you, Robotnik is dead and gone and all of Mobius is finally about to be free and enter into a new era. Bunny I have already prepared a de-roboticizer for you and Rotor, I have the most advanced technology for you to work with so we can start curing all of Mobius's ills. There's just one small problem." Like a whip exploding Max vanished and held Sonic and Tails by their throats each in a single hand as he spoke, a now depressed tone in his voice. "These two need to go, I'm sorry it's just the way it is, I need you in there to see it, to know that this is the last of the Freedom Fighters, that you don't have to fight anymore and to prove it, I'm going to give them a fighting chance." He lowered them to the ground and they both rubbed their throats, neither had need to breathe so it hadn't been as devastating as it had looked, the both charged as Max put one hand behind his back and vanished in the air was sent flying across the length of the massive cavern as Max had reappeared behind him and delivered a devastating kick before vanishing again, Tails spun his namesake furiously as he approached the wall and managed to rebound off of it just in time to receive Sonic's form ploughing into him knocking the both of them down, Max stood above them and looked down on them. "I am truly sorry. But this is the end, face it with courage my friends" He kicked them both into the air and swung them about with his one hand and tossed them full strength into the cage, the ground rumbled and blood spattered the cages occupants as they looked on in horror as Sonic and Tails rolled off the cages and collapsed onto the floor unmoving.

This was it Max thought, the moment when everything became solidified, when they died in front of the others the spirit of the Freedom Fighters would be broken, they wouldn't fight back as Max slowly set about crafting his new world, so engrossed was he in this thought he didn't even hear the cocking of the rifle, though he heard the thunderous yell it let loose as a bullet flew directly at him. The minx had been close when she fired, she had hid in one of the doorways that led from the room, she had been close enough that even Max had only been able to reduce the kill shot to a shoulder wound, and Max spun awkwardly before landing on one knee, his expression was of shock, unimaginable shock, something had changed. Tails and Sonic had seen it, and it had given them all the strength they needed to pull their bruised and broken bodies off the floor, Max had his full attention on the Minx and was covering his shoulder wound with one hand blood trickling onto the floor, Tails noticed the key now lying loose in the sand and quickly snatched it, Max hearing the noise turned to but was forced to leap clear as another bullet flew towards him. Tails had already unlocked the cage and was rushing everyone to the elevator as Sonic carried them utterly ignoring the state of his body, Max rushed again but the Minx had guessed what he was going to do and fired a shot to intercept him, he veered off path, he had given up on the prisoners, the minx had ruined everything and she was going to suffer for it. The others were already in the elevator and heading to safety, Sonic stayed with them to protect them on the way out, but Tails had stayed, he needed to help the Minx and stop Max before he did more damage. Max was counting shots, she couldn't have many left were his thoughts at the exact moment he felt something rip across his back, he let out a snarl and sped off. Tails had used his tails as a saw blade and hit him in the back, things were going well at the moment, but the moment ended as Max let out a roar of pure rage and hatred. "YOU'VE RUINED EVERYTHING! I WORKED FOR CENTUREIS AND YOU FOLLS THINK YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE, ILL RIP YOU IN HALF AND FEAST ON YOUR BONES!"

the ground exploded as he ran and the Minx exploded in a red cloud as her form fell to the ground screaming in agony and her body flew in Tails direction landing with a sickening thud, Tails lent down to offer aid, but she quickly pushed him away and yelled at him to run. As he ran full sprint he caught a glimpse of Max, he had turned and was revealed, his Eyes were red and his fangs were long and sharp, his claws were pitch black razors, Tails recognized the features, Max was a vampire, it was obvious now. The minx was lying there bleeding to death, the world moved in slow motion and she saw Max charge Tails eyes swimming pools of madness and hate, she whispered to herself or perhaps only imagined it, she asked forgiveness as she pulled a small package she had concealed and pulled the pin as she yelled. "CLOSE YOUR EYES!" Tails obeyed and the flash was monstrous even through closed eyes, he heard Max's screams of bloody murder as he rushed into the elevator, climbed through the top and flew directly up the shaft. Max was a mass of hatred, he had failed, his plan that he had pieced together over centuries was dust, and it was all this minx's fault, he walked up to her eyes barely able to perceive her as he approached claws already outstretched and prepared for the kill, the Minx spoke out her last words. "Fucking do it, you bastard, whats…." She was cut off as Max had torn her throat out and was shaking in his rage, where had he went wrong, she was supposed to have been killed by Tails, how had he missed something, it only angered him further as he looked down and witnessed the smug grin forever plastered on the minx's face, he swore into the air as he prepared to move on, Fuck the plan he would not lose, he would have his world and he would cut down anyone in his path. The minx lay their cold and dead, a grin of utter defiance laid on her now calm face, it was a grin that wouldn't fade, it would last in the Minx's mind, her last thought forever frozen, until the end of time.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12 is up and sorry if its a little slow, Im pacing myself is the excuse I'll go with. Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter and I hope you'll keep

reviewing, if you haven't been reviewing (imagine a cute face) Come Onnnnn pleeeeeaaaaasssseee. I don't own Sonic Sega or any characters. Please enjoy.

* * *

It was a mad dash, Sally and the others were being dragged through the air in a horrendous line at breakneck speeds as the blue blur fled from Robotropolis, Sonic was worried, Tails had stayed to help the Minx and was unsure if he was okay, even with Max injured Sonic now knew all too well just how fast he could be. To make matters worse every second he ran he could feel the pulse of the person whose wrist he had grabbed and was dragging to safety, the pulse was rhythmic, almost hypnotic and it promised the nourishing fluid he truly desired, he could taste the blood in his mind as he continued running, he repeated in his mind the warning Tails had given him. He smirked when he heard a familiar sound approaching; Sonic had kept himself from top speed to allow Tails to catch up, and the sound of whirring tails told him he had done just that, he glanced behind him and there was Tails, they smiled knowingly at each other as Tails began running directly alongside him. "Sonic how are you doing?" Tails asked questioningly and Sonic knew full well he was referring to the hunger; Sonic shrugged and gave a thumbs up as he voiced his own question. "Tails where's that Minx? Did she make it out or…and what happened to Max?" Tails face instantly fell, he looked confused and truly his mind was, she had saved them, all of them and given Tails the chance to get out safely, but she still was a very large part of the reason for his departure from Knothole, he was conflicted and his face softened, he forgave her, it was who he truly was and that thought alone brightened the fox, he felt saddened but determined not to let the Minx's sacrifice be in vain. "She's gone Sonic, she gave me time to escape and Max…..he's a vampire, I don't know what happened but I'm pretty sure he's still alive and going to try and kill us again."

Sonic was not happy, Max, a vampire, it was a dark reflection of what him or Tails could become if they ever gave in, barely concealed madness driven on only by a need to accomplish his plans, he let the thought sit and wondered how Tails could have been so strong all alone, he was proud and would have loved to say it there and now, but as they approached the outskirts of New Knothole all thought was killed. It was barren, the tent flaps stood a flutter in the breeze and the area was silent as the grave, no birds chirped and only wind rustling leaves could be heard, as the group walked forwards they all called out to anyone who could hear, but the echoes of their voices was the only reply. "Sal, where is everyone? I mean it couldn't have been Max he would have had to planned this out perfectly, and no one could plan this far ahead. Could they?" Sally was unsure of Sonic's question, she was unsure of anything, it was so spooky, no sign of a struggle, everyone just got up and left was what it looked like, and then she thought of a question and pointed it at Tails. "Vampires can't hypnotize people can they? I mean if Max is a vampire then could he have used that while he distracted us? I mean what if he brought a vampire army he had and hypnotized everyone in Knothole to follow him?" Tails scratched his head and shrugged, he had never really thought about it and he had no clue if it was true or not, Sally cursed herself for letting Knothole be taken so easily, Sonic tried to put a comforting arm around her but being close was too much so he simply patted her on the back and gave her a smile, she was confused by the hedgehogs actions and opened her mouth to question it when a scream pierced through the silence.

Like a bolt an orange and blue blur hurtled towards the sound and when they reached where it had come from they gasped in terror, it was Rex the raptor like Mobian from the original team to help Sonic and Tails with the collection ships, and he was gnawing on the arm of a dead badger, he smiled at them a look of ecstasy in his eyes as he spoke up. "Sorry about not leaving you much, if you want there's more over there. Don't look so shocked, I can hear heartbeats and you two have none, ergo you, like me are perfect specimens of the hunt" His smile was horrific, chunks of flesh and fur and the reeking smell of blood hit like a wave, they both felt there stomachs retch at the sight as he stood, and pointed at Tab who had been standing silent off to the side, her eyes were glassy and Rex motioned with a finger and she walked nearer, she never got close though as before Sonic could see Tails had jumped on top of Rex and was beating him savagely, using his full strength. Tears were being flung from his eyes and they were filled with anger as he kept punching as Rex tried to stand. "WHY! You killed them and….and you don't even try to fight it…WHY! They were friends and you just killed them. Is that all they are food….IS THAT WHAT IT REALLY MEANS TO BE A VAMPIRE! To hold no regard for anything but your next meal!" His punching slowed and Tails looked down at the bloody mess that had been Rex's face, it's eyes were dead, Tails had killed it and he slid off it and wrapped his hands around his knees and brought his Tails around himself for comfort. Sonic had watched the entire exchange and was in shock, Rex had been so casual, as if he was simply willing to share half his chilidog, but it had been a person, a living breathing person with thoughts, dreams, and he had killed this person because of the hunger that Sonic felt even now, the hunger that made him want to finish the few bits of blood and meat left on the arms bone, it made him sick.

Sally and the rest ran in and found an unconscious Tab just beginning to wake, a Sonic who had a look of guilt on his face and a weeping Tails rocking slowly clutching his knees, the two mutilated bodies quickly explained the scene, one had been torn apart and the other beaten to death, and based on the blood saturating Tails gloves and fur it was easy to tell which he had caused. She went to him and placed a hand around his shoulder; he quickly knocked it away and stood quickly a look of absolute panic on his face as he held his hands up. "Don't come any closer…I..I don't want to hurt you, I…I'm sorry, I wish I never lived past eight, I should have died and I wish I did." He was broken, he was a monster as he saw it and this was what he would eventually become, a starved animal who would kill his friends for a drop of blood more, he couldn't take it, he didn't want to live like this anymore, his hollow existence, a blackened parody of life, he belonged in a grave were his thoughts, but thoughts that melted away as he was embraced by Sonic, and the rest who quickly joined in. It was unexpected but when he looked around he could see it, trust, trust that they would wager their very lives on, that Tails truly was good, that he had friends who accepted him, and new tears fell, not of sorrow or anger, but tears of joy, it was what he had always desperately wished for, people who knew and accepted him anyways, Sonic also drew strength from it, he would be as strong as Tails was and never give in to the blood hunger, he was certain of it.

The group separated and Rotor was the first one to speak "Tails, you are a good person, I knew that before you told me your secret, and it didn't change anything, your nothing like that thing, your alive because you have friends and people who care for you and who you in turn care for. It's not a heartbeat, its feelings and emotions that make you alive" Tails smiled as Sally stepped in her eyes slightly red but not a tear visible. "Tails, since we found you I always thought of you…like a son, and I still do, age doesn't matter, it's the bond and it's a bond that nothing can break" Tails felt completely uplifted, that is to say until Sonic cleared his throat and started talking, Tails smacked himself in the head, he knew exactly what was coming. "Sorry to steal the spotlight buddy but with all the positive feelings I figure now's probably the best chance I'm going to get. See" and he went over a rapid explanation of being shot and when he reached the part about waking up and the sunlight burning him, he stopped, he had left out all the mushy bits between him and Tails but they all had on a "what do we do now?" expression. Bunny was the first to break the silence. "Well sugar hog you look real fine and I'm glad you're still here. Why I don't know how little old me would have gotten along without you, and that goes for you to Tails, I'm still your aunt Bunny so don't go trying to pull any I'm older than you crap now ya hear." She gave out a smile and the gathering burst into laughter, it was forced, but it was what they all needed, afterwards they set about burring the dead they found, only five bodies, it was the sad kind of victory knowing so many others were still alive, they were ready now, ready to fight and save their friends, to end whatever horror's Max had planned.

They stood in a circle, Tab, Mike, Rotor, Bunny, Sonic, Tails, and Sally, they were prepared for whatever came next and Mike finally broke his silence "I'm going to save my brother, but I'm glad I don't need to do it alone, and when I get my hands on Max, I'll make him pay for lying to us, I don't know what's wrong with him but I'll beat it out of him if I can." With that said they all placed their hands forwards and clasped it atop one another, they stared at each other a collection of determined expressions, as they started shouting out one after another. "For friends" "For family" "For the good of Mobius" and finally with a triumphant cry they screamed into the sky in unison. "For the Freedom Fighters" They were dead set and all were committed, they knew the stakes, Max was insane and if left alone all of Mobius might be in an even worse state then with Robotnik, and they all had extra encouragement because with Robotnik dead Max was all that stood in the way of peace for Mobius once and for all. The group sat down and began planning their strategy for taking out Max and as the ideas slowly came together hope was rekindled, from a dying spark to a roaring inferno, they would save their friends and Mobius after so many years would finally know peace.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13 WOOT WOOT. Isn't everyone reading this thrilled. I hope you have been enjoying it so far and thank you yet again to all you amazing reviewers

who keep reviewing, you lady's and gents are the entire reason I keep writing. Without further adieu. I dont own SOnic or Sega all rights and characters belong to

them. Please read review laugh and or cry, whatever feels right at the current moment LOL. On with the show.

* * *

He saw only red, Knothole had been taken and with help from his few allies very few had perished, hypnotic suggestion was among Max's favourite vampiric abilities, but they were still out there, and try as he might, review the events Max couldn't locate where his plan had crumbled. In his visions it had all been so simple, Tails was to become a vampire, eventually join the freedom fighters and when the truth came out he was pushed to the point of madness, his heart was supposed to have hardened, and he should have killed the minx, so why hadn't he. He was in a meditative position and was viewing the past through the eyes of another, and there was something askew, it was always slight but noticeable when he came to this moment, in fact mostly any moment that involved Sally Acorn, was that it he wondered, her, had she thrown off his plans. He gave out a snarl as he stood, it didn't really matter, even if his plan had changed he could still accomplish his aims, though he was nervous now, for the first time in his life he was flying blind, he recalled his childhood and quickly tossed the memory aside, it was wretched place to dwell, he would never let himself be taken back to those moments.

A brief flash came to his mind of a young and wailing child, another nightmare and this one he had recognized his own mother's death, the young child cried as he was comforted and told it was only a dream, when nightmares became reality it was a fate worse than death. He shook his head, he hated those memories, how weak he had been, how much he had tried to change, he would fail, he had given so much to try and prevent a single vision, but it never worked, he had rules he needed to follow and he hated them as he much as he hated himself. All of Knothole was now his, he could start immediately, it didn't matter if they were still out there, they couldn't beat him, he was centuries old and had centuries to perfect his abilities, he began to walk from the room footfalls echoing ominously as he descended the stairs that led to his prisoners, he would have them all equal, he would finally know peace, and then he could finally rest after far too many sleepless nights.

Sonic lay on the grass and watched the stars shining overhead, the plan was laid out, though he had been in favour of acting right then and there the others had eventually managed to talk him down and convince him to wait, he hated waiting, though now that he thought about it he could easily afford to wait, his lifespan stretched into the horizon, or it had already come and gone and his soul was trapped on the earth, thinking about it he wasn't quite sure which. He let out a sigh and let his hand lay on his chest, it was motionless, it made him sad, he thought about Sally and this just made him grow sadder still, what kind of life could he have with her now? He was dead, a walking corpse and the thought stung like a bullet, he shivered at the simile, nothing stung like a bullet, would she even care for him now, and if she did what would he do when she was gone. He would outlive her by decades at least, he was unsure he could go on so long after she was gone, uncertain what type of meaning his life would have and just as he was falling into a pit of melancholy the rustling of a nearby bush grabbed his attention. Tails walked out picking twigs out of his fur as he silently sat and lay next to Sonic and looked up at the sky, the two sat and stared at the vast array of cosmic lights for a few moments before Tails spoke, eyes never leaving the heavens. "I know what you're thinking, I'm sorry. Maybe I never….It doesn't matter, it does get better, and the others are taking it really well so maybe once this is all done we can stay. Its Sally isn't it. You're worried about outliving all the people you know and care about; I know it was one of my worst thoughts about you."

Sonic turned to look at his friends, his brother, and he saw in his eyes a sadness greater than the body of a child could ever express, how many times had the thought crossed the fox's mind that he would be here long passed Sonic and all his friends, he had outlived his family and anyone he ever met was stained by his fear of the future. Sonic put a hand on his shoulder and like a mist parting the sadness in the fox's eyes began to subside as smile went over his features and he turned to stare straight into the eyes of his brother, his friends, his hero, they stared and Sonic said a light hearted tone in his voice. "Don't go thinking this is going to turn into another hug out, there's been one too many recently." He grinned and Tails stood up to leave. "I had better leave you two alone Sonic, and be careful I'll be watching" He had an evil grin on and Sonic was confused, "you two" who was there, but before he realized the slightest change Sally walked in from the opposite side of the clearing just as Tails left through the same bush he had come from.

"Sal, geez you spooked me, whatcha doing here?" Sonic pulled himself up into a sitting position as Sally took a seat next to him plopping onto the moistened green grass in the light of the moon. "Hi Sonic, I came to talk to you. We haven't really had a chance since you told us all...well you know. I wanted to make sure you were doing alright." She laid a comforting hand on the same shoulder Tails had moments ago, he shuddered, he was positive he would never hurt any of his friends now, but it was still a little uncomfortable being this close, he gave her a smile and suddenly through himself into a hug with the princess. It was a fairy tale hug in a fairy tale setting, indeed easily an extremely romantic moment if not for one whistling fox in a nearby tree who carefully remained hidden to avoid any projectiles either would throw at him. They broke apart the hug with Sonic glaring into the woods unsure where the whistling was coming from, he turned to face Sally and gave out a little chuckle as he started. "Little guys who knows how much older than me and still acts like a little brother, I might just have to stop making chilli dogs for the both of us!" He shouted the last part and a rustling of branches showed the little foxes departure.

"Sal, I, I'm not really sure what to say, I mean I'm glad to be alive and all, but I don't know what to do, it's like there's this horrible monster just hiding in me and I don't want to hurt anyone, and if we actually beat Max I don't know what I'm going to do afterwards." His head lowered and Sally quickly picked it up by gingerly grabbing his chin and lifting his face to hers. "Your Sonic the hedgehog and you know exactly what you're going to do, you're going to run around crazy and worry me sick while I wait for you to get back, and when you do get back this is what's probably going to happen." She gave him a smack on the head and then planted a quick kiss, Sonic's face reddened and he quickly turned away as he started to speak. "Sal, I would love to be with you, but….I'm going to live a lot longer than you are and I don't want to hurt you, physically or any other way. I can't stand the thought of you getting older and me just staying like this, I mean what kind of life could I really give you." Sonic felt wetness in his eyes but brushed it away as Sally grabbed his shoulders and forced him to turn and face her. "Sonic, I'll be by your side for my entire life if you'll let me, and even if we can't be together, we can always be close friends and that will never change no matter what. You're important to me and no matter how fast you run or how long you live I'll always be right here next to you" She held her hand atop his heart, and for a moment Sonic thought he felt it beat once in his chest, He quickly jumped into a hug with her and the two would stay in that field staring at stars and comforting one another for the rest of the night.

Antoine was shaking, he was terrified, he was beyond terrified and everything, every sound made him jump, he had done it, he had managed to escape the holding cell and was currently climbing through the duct work of Robotnik's former fortress. It had been a horrible sight, they would come in every now and then and grab a prisoner, one would hold them down while the other, a deep and bone chilling shudder racked the coyote's body, he didn't want to think of it, but it was all he could think of, he kept seeing the fangs slide out as they bit into the neck of the struggling person, and then they went still, deathly still and no motion was seen nor felt. It replayed in his mind when the person would start to stir, it took a long time but they would just stand there and wait, until they got up and started looking like a wild beast and then, one of them would open a prisoners door and cut them just enough so the blood was flowing, and then the recently turned was thrown into the cage and the door locked behind them. The sight was gruesome, they had both been people Antoine had passed daily on the streets of Knothole and as one tore into the other and the blood had leaked onto the cold metal floor Antoine could feel it soak into his boots as he tried to climb the cages wall to get away from the flood of blood and guts which were tossed about, they had gotten onto his fur and try as he might the grizzly stains wouldn't come out.

He pushed the memories down as he continued through the ducts, he was the most frightened he had ever been, but he was more determined than ever before, he would escape and help his friends who hadn't been in the cages fight back and end Max's horror, he had to, he couldn't let anyone else he knew became food for Max and his deranged army, it was his duty as a Freedom Fighter. He paused as he looked through a grate and saw swat-bots walking down the lonely corridors, until he saw him Max pass right under him, he held his breath and prayed for his body to be still, for his chattering teeth to fall silent if only for an instant. Max paused directly beneath him deep in thought he let out a roar and Antoine cringed but refused to move for fear of revealing himself, Max let his fist collide with a wall and it carried straight through as he began shouting. "WHERE DID IT GO WRONG, MY VISONS NEVER FAIL? I CAN SEE THE FUTURE! I CAN CONTROL IT! THOSE FOOLS HAVE NO IDEA OF THE GOOD I'M TRYING TO DO! I'LL WIN! I NEVER FAIL I AM A God AND I WILL NEVER LOSE! He stormed off leaving a petrified Antoine, if he could see into the future the coyote thought, he pressed onwards without a second thought, he would help his friends and be the hero, it was that thought that pushed him forwards into the darkness of the tunnels, he had to warn them and no force on all of Mobius was going to stop him.


	14. Chapter 14

Wow i'm updating like crazy. Well I found time, I hope you enjoy this chaper and I am sad to announce this my first ever

multi chapter story is slowly coming to an end. Cue tears, millions and millions of tears. Anyway thank you again for reviewing and please start

or continue to do so. I don't own Sonic or Sega all rights and characters belong to them. Except Max, that crazy bastard belongs to me.

* * *

He felt cold, the rain fell in sheets and stung his back with each icy drop, he was soaked through but didn't overly care, if he felt cold then he was alive, a simple trick of logic he had used for centuries, Max stared into the horizon as he dreamt of his world, of peace, and of finally being able to stop, to at long last rest and be what he had always dreamt of, a hero. Max, saviour of Mobius, it was a title that always made him smile, his plan was working, though the loss of so many weighed heavy on his heart he couldn't stop, he would have everyone turned into a vampire, everyone would know the hunger, but with no one to feed on it would subside, he was certain of it, maybe not for a hundred years or as was his case 136 years, but eventually if you never fed the hunger would disappear. He had never wanted to feed, and indeed to this day had never once fallen, well save one time, but it had been determined by fate and held no place amongst his many guilty memories, he had changed the poor fox and set him on the path, it was strange to think that after all this time he was still fighting fate, but he still couldn't see what had altered his time, was it possible to change fate? He shook his head, he had learned the answer every day of his existence, no matter how hard one fought it couldn't change, even if the event would stop the universe would find another way, in the end he couldn't save anyone and that thought tormented Max every night and every moment his thoughts would wander. What good was seeing the future, seeing all your friends die, seeing yourself become a monster if you couldn't stop any of it in the slightest, Max knew the role he had to play, he had been cast as the villain from birth, but he found a way to break the cycle, he had to change the world, he had to be a source of sorrow, but he still had never given up, he would save the world, he would end all wars, when everyone shared in the blood of the vampires then there could be no war, no difference. The pain of the hunger would in time subside, it was a long battle but it would, he knew it would, it simply had to, then Mobius would become great, he could lead it into a golden age where everyone lived forever, where no wars could be fought and everyone could be happy, it had cost him everything to get to this point, how much simpler would it have been to simply end himself, but he never could, he needed to help, to have a purpose, he couldn't believe he had been granted his visions as a curse, or a simple fluke.

With his eyes on the sunset he returned to the inside of his fortress and walked towards the holding cells, he paused just in front of the door, he could smell the blood, he hated the smell, it professed a lifetime of sin to him, but he pushed the door open all the same, he had to watch, to memorize every face that died because of him, he would never allow them to become numbers, he had to feel what he had done. More and more vampires had been born in the cages and they sat in pools of blood of their victims, it was horrendous, but fair, everyone had an equal chance of being turned or being food, random chance was truly unbiased and he thanked the stars for that, he couldn't even imagine deciding others fates if he had to use his own judgements. He stared into the eyes of the recently turned and saw many emotions, fear, disgust, hatred of oneself, hatred of one another, blinding panic, all emotions he had known at one time or another, he walked up to a cage and spoke his voice carrying notes of sadness as he talked to a weeping badger, crying on the corpse she had made. "Don't feel sad, it was fate that it happened this way, and now you can help make the world a better place. We'll have you out of there soon so you can help us clear out the last resistance pockets, then everything is going to be okay, don't worry I'll help you." She turned her stare at him and the tears kept cascading down her face as she glared through the cold metal bars and spoke in voice steeped in sorrow. "I…I killed HER! My sister…I'm so sorry, WHY DID YOU DO THS TO ME! I… I can't stand this!" The motion was a blur but Max yelled out, it did no good, she had cut a gash using her own claws and cut her throat, she bled out on the floor and Max walked on, he had seen enough, he would return later, he would, reflect, he would beg forgiveness later, for now he had to finish, no matter the cost he had to finish he thought, tears were in his eyes as he walked on.

Antoine was annoyed, not least because the vents were filthy, but he had gotten lost, he who had spent hours poring over the duct diagrams had gotten lost, it was pathetic and he silently cursed himself for his stupidity and simply kept moving forwards. He had a plan of action, a poorly constructed plan of action, but a plan of action none the less, he just needed to find the panel that should be around here, and as he searched the constricting walls of the duct he finally sighted it emitting a soft glow as if signifying its importance. He would have cried out in victory had he not been terrified of being slaughtered by an army of vampires, he carefully pulled it open and viewed the mess of wires, which one was he supposed to cut again? He smacked his palm into his forehead and scratched it trying desperately to remember, he needed to cut one of these wires to unlock a door that should only be a couple feet below him, and once he was in he could use the console to cause the swat-bots to malfunction and buy himself time to escape. He was about to snap his fingers in triumph but quickly remembered where he was, the wire had definitely been black, or was it green, he mentally swore, he was getting nowhere slowly, he took a deep breath and prepared to just cut the green wire, what was the worst that could happen?

Max felt a chill run up his back, it was a very bad sign, he exhaled to calm himself, he was safe, he had already at least 34 vampires to protect him, though only around seven were fit for battle and had been turned long enough ago to actually use their powers effectively, add the legion of swat-bots he had inherited and he felt noticeably more calm. That is until the nearby swat-bot that had been guarding his door suddenly turned and opened fire on him, it was a complete surprise and he took a laser round directly through his left hand as he then reduced the bot to scrap letting out a pained and rage filled roar. Now he had a hole in his shoulder and his hand, that damn minx, he thought once more, if he could have killed her twice he would have, the wound had burned closed at least so he didn't need to put too much worry into it, he raced into the halls and was quickly confronted by armies of swat-bots, no longer surprised they were quickly ripped to pieces and bits of scrap metal and oil flowed down the hall. "WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON!" His roar could be heard throughout the entire complex as he cradled his hand, even by a terrified coyote as he ran past the chaos and right out the front door and kept running in the direction of the meeting point, if they were going to be anywhere that was where they would need to be.

Tails and company had departed the eerily undamaged ruins of New Knothole, for ruins were exactly what they were with no one to populate them, they were heading for the meeting point, hoping that someone was still definitely alive from Knothole, that someone had managed to hide and escape, once they were sure no one had escaped they would enact there plan to take out Max and liberate Mobius once and for all. It was a quiet walk at first until finally Sonic spoke up. "Why don't I just run ahead, you know check the spot then race back before ol Maxy even realizes I'm there, then we could head straight for him and save everyone?" They sighed and Tails was the one that replied. "You realize how fast Max is right, if he finds out your there he'll run you down and we need everyone if we want any hope of actually doing this, plus that would leave me to protect all of them and even I'm not that good" Rotor patted him on the head. "Don't sell yourself short little…..erhhm big buddy? What do I even call you, not being insulting or anything just wondering what you would prefer?" Tails was in thought for a moment, this was a dark day and he was unsure everyone would come out alright, though he hoped with all his heart, he sighed, they could use a laugh and he was willing to be the target of it, for the good of the team he thought. "Actually my names armfthr fzzy" he quickly mumbled out, everyone looked at him again and he sighed, it really was a dreadful name, he sucked in and let it out, his real name. "Arthur Fuzzy!" Everyone stopped, eyes twitched slightly and barely concealed laughter could be heard, then like the breaking of the damn it came, a riotous laughing and Sonic Rotor and Bunny collapsed onto the forest floor holding their sides, Sally was holding it in well and motioned for them to be silent so to not draw any attention.

Eventually the rolling and laughter stopped and Sonic stood up wiping a tear that had formed in his eye as he spoke. "Sorry big guy but I think Tails is a good name for you" The others nodded in agreement and looked at the fox who's cheeks had turned bright cherry red, the laughter started once again but noticeably quieter, Tails spoke, even he had a note of laughter to his voice. "Yeah hahaha I get it. Remind me when I get a chance to change my name to Miles Prower, I think I prefer it honestly and if you laugh like that again Sonic I'll tell the others your big secret." Sonic froze up and scratched his head, what secret was he talking about, he told everyone he was now a vampire, what other secrets did he have, and like a big horrible light bulb coming on he paled noticeably. Bunny looked from him to Tails and back, she opened her mouth to ask but Tails had already intercepted her. "It's his middle name Bunny, Sonic's middle name is…." He was cut off as Sonic slapped a glove over the foxes mouth in an attempt to silence him, a muffled noise came out, and for once Sonic considered disciplining the fox, Arthur Fuzzy was bad but, he shuddered at his middle name it was way past uncool. Tails knocked away Sonic's hand and shouted it out into the sky a big goofy grin on his face when he did, if Tails was going to be a laughing stock because of his name then he was dragging Sonic with him. "Marylyn" The other mouths were hanging and Sonic was cringing, and once again the laughter started and Tails joined in, It was brutal, he hit the Fox on the head lightly but it was an easily to discern motion, a brotherly jostling, and like that they crossed the last line of trees and stood at the meeting spot where, standing atop a small pile of rubble tapping his foot was Antoine. "I ave been ze Waiting!"


	15. Chapter 15

So we near the end, next chapter will be the last. Well that and an epiloug but you get the picture. I know many of you weep,( waits patiently for

weeping but hears nothing at all.) but rest assured I will try to give this story the ending it damn well deserves. Also I hope the Antoine

dialouge doesn't kill you, cause then you might haunt me and scare the crap out of me LOL. I dont own Sonic or Sega all characters belong to them.

* * *

Sonic's jaw was dangling, and a quick inspection of the others told him they were all doing the same, Antoine kept tapping his foot, the fastest thing alive had kept the cowardly coyote waiting, it seemed just plain wrong. "I av been ze waiting, I zam glad you are ok, but weez must move careful, ze Villainous Max iz out looking and wanting to end us ze painfully queek way!" It was definitely wrong, he wanted to help and not cower, Sonic was about to retort when Bunny pushed past him and cast her arms around Antoine. "Yall had me scared sugar Ant, I was worried sick for ya." Antoine returned the hug. "I am so sorry for worrying you, my beautiful flower, rest ze assured, I will not let any of the harms come to you!" Mike walked over a sigh of relief escaping his lips as he embraced his brother, he had been worried, and it was weight off his shoulders to know he was safe. Sally to let out a sigh as she began relief evident in her voice as she voiced her concerns. "It's good you're safe Antoine, but we need to get going and save the rest of Knothole, I want you to come give us a hand but I understand if you don't want to come." Antoine shook his head and Sonic sighed, him backing out was just like the old Antoine, but when he looked up Sonic saw a fierce look of determination in his eyes and knew he had thought to soon and misjudged the coyote when he spoke. "I am not ze scaredy cat, It iz Max, I ow do you say it, overerd im saying he could see ze future, It iz how he has done zo much already." A collective gasp was let out, fighting a vampire with speed above Sonic's was bad enough, but him being able to see the future was a horrendous thought, how could you fight someone that knew your every move, every plan, the hope sputtered out and the group found themselves sitting on their backsides completely unaware of anything they could do. "It iz not zo bad, Max waz ze furious because he can no longer see ze future, It was somesing zat he can no longer see, so if we go before he can see ze future again we can be ze victors!" The look of hope sputtered back into life and Sonic came up and patted Antoine on the back, and so did the rest of the group, it was news that they needed to act now, that waiting much longer might jeopardize their only chance, and so giving Antoine a collective thumbs up the group left to enact the first part of their plan, though an occasional nervous glance of Antoine's would fall on the twin tailed fox as they walked towards their destination.

Max looked over the various computer monitors, nothing, he looked at the holding cells, a third of his vampires were dead from the robotic assault, Max was seething, he had tied a bandage around both his shoulder and hand and they were already stained red, his robotic guards were nonexistent and only about five vampires were left to fight on, it had not been a pleasant day. "Where are you vermin, where are you hiding, come out so I can squash you like the INSIGNIFIGANT FUCKING BUG YOU ARE!" He was shaking as his eyes scanned monitor after monitor looking for a trace of the saboteur, he was met with empty halls, he was on his way to ruling an empire of ghosts and the thought actually held a note of pleasure to him, he was unfamiliar with the specifics of the fortress and with all robots (hostile or not) slaughtered, Max was basically left with a large chunk of metal that no amount of screaming could move. He breathed deeply, he could still do it, he could still find what was left of the Freedom Fighters and put an end to them, then he would rally the rest of New Knothole to his cause and turn the rest of Mobius into vampires, yes he thought he could still do it, then it happened a single monitor suddenly cut off white static filling the screen. Like a cascade the rest followed the white noise beating into Max's head like a jackhammer, the eerie glow of the white monitors shone on him as he tensed beyond a point possible, his fingers dug into the palms of his hands and he twitched in pain as the wound on his hand had reopened, he stared at the hand blood leaking out onto the cold metal floor and a thought hit him, a thought that had never occurred to him, could he actually lose? It was inconceivable, he had played his part, he had followed his plan to the letter and now fate just changed its mind, he squeezed his wounded hand and let more blood fall onto the floor, that was his solution, more blood, he would wait, they would come and this was their move, and when they came he would cut them down, they couldn't fight fate, not when he had tried for so long and failed, it couldn't be possible, and a feeling that had been absent for so many years finally crept into the ferrets mind, doubt in what he was doing.

The group beat feet out of the communications facility Robotnik had used to co-ordinate the massive number of cameras he had all over Mobius, now Max would be blind to the rest of their actions and the Freedom Fighters had set about setting up for the final stage of the plan, killing Max, he was too dangerous to be left alive, it was evident and so with Rotors help before they had left New Knothole he had built a rifle. It was simple in design and had incorporated one of the power rings into its design, it would only have enough charge for a single fire, but it would move at a speed not even Max would be able to match, they just had to keep him still long enough to fire it. After a conversation of who was the best shot Tab was elected and she took her place atop a ruined building directly adjacent to Robotnik's fortress, if she had been sighted by a single one of Max's robots then the plan would have been impossible, it was a surprise attack and the element of surprise was about all they had on their side. Antoine cast another wary glance at Tails and Tails sighed, he could feel the fear, no one had told him Sonic was a vampire either but after Antoine had told them of what he saw in the cages no one needed to wonder why he was nervous around Tails. It hurt him to think of a friend frightened of him and so he turned to Antoine a nervous look on his face as he started to try and make a conversation appear from thin air. "Hey Ant, you think the plan will work?" He waited for a reply but the coyote kept silent and just shrugged. "Ant I know your scared but don't worry I don't…." He broke off his sentence and clenched his jaw, he was about to say he I don't bite but that choice of words couldn't have been poorer so he forced himself into silence as he turned to go.

A shaky hand fell on his shoulder and he turned to see Antoine shaking slightly, he spoke a small chatter to his voice no doubt from his teeth. "Oui I am ze nervous over you, but…you would not attack me no? I was just zinking back to zat day when you asked me if I thoguth you were good, well I av ze answer now If you wish to ear it. You are magnifique and weez would not be here if not for you, so oui, I trust you." Tails felt great he wanted to hug Ant but could see the coyote was still nervous with him, so he held out his fist and after a moment Antoine bumped his against it, Tails turned and left and headed back to prepare for the final assault, all the others were occupied so he walked up and stood next to Sonic and they both gazed out over Robotnik's former fortress. The sun was just rising over it, and the sky was painted an orangish purple, the metal on it shined like fire upon a silver ocean as Tails put an arm around Sonic and started. "It sure is a sight huh big bro, I can't wait till this is over so we can grab a couple of chilidogs, how's that sound?" Sonic let out a soft laugh but kept his eye on the fortress as he put his own arm around the fox that for so long had been a brother to him, It was an all or nothing mission, liberation of Mobius or Death of it, so Sonic had to be sure to make possible final words to his brother count. " Lil bro were gonna hit Max so fast he won't know what hit him, then afterword's you, me and all of Knothole are gonna have a huge chilidog party with you as the guest of honour." He had smiled as the words left his lips, doom and gloom and last words weren't his style, anyways, he had already shared last words with the fox and there was no need to repeat himself, the fox let out a giggle and they returned their stare to the sunrise as Sally came up from behind and placed a soft hand on the both of their shoulders as she to began to stare. With that the rest soon came to stand atop the overlook with the exception of Tab who was in position awaiting the order, Rotor clasped a hand on Tails back, Bunny and Antoine stood to one side arms on each other's shoulders and Mikes arms on Antoine's shoulders, it was picturesque and at that moment they heard a howl of pain and sorrow that none of them could fathom, they knew it was Max and for a moment they all felt pity for the ferret, no creature should ever make that sound, they got in position expecting him to be out in front ready for a fight, but at that moment he was weeping in the prison cells.

It had fallen apart, it had all crumbled, he had been wrong, he had lost in the deepest sense of the term, he knew this as he stood over the body of the last vampire, he had killed them all, he was truly alone, truly a monster and his vision had turned to ash and drifted away on the wind. They had attacked suddenly, a coup as it were thinking him weak and injured, they hadn't followed his ideal, it was just a promise of blood to them, they had thought him weak but he had proved the stronger, though his back had several long bloody gashes, his fur was ripped in places and he had chipped a fang, he had proved the survivor, and that just made him feel worse. He sat in the pool of blood as soft stream of tears ran down his face, he had done so much wrong, his visions had led him here and he had blindly followed, a betrayal was unforeseen, so much had been unforeseen and it was all pointless, all the death, all the destruction, all his fault, he slowly picked himself off the ground, his body crying in protest as much as his eyes, the wounds bled furiously but he placed a hand on the wall and slowly made his way up the stairs to the front gate where he knew they were waiting, he grunted with every step, he conserved his energy, he had lost it all and it was all Tails fault, he would kill him, it was all he had, no reason, no plan, just where everything fell apart he would end it. As the doors to Robotnik's fortress burst open they were shocked at what they saw, Max was bleeding from a myriad of wounds, his fur was gone in patches, and his eyes held a look of one who was beyond tired, who no longer feared death but would greet it as an old friends, the wind blew once and all was silent until his eyes fell on the Fox, and like the roaring of thunder it began.


	16. Chapter 16

So here we are, the final chapter, still an epiloug but this concludes the fight, actually not a ton of fighting as I try to stay away from it

but I like the ending, its well, you find out. A huge thank you to everyone who kept me writing by reviewing I wish I could send you

all a box of cookies, I hope you enjoy it and I very much want to hear what you thoguht of it. I dont own Sonic Sega or any characters.

* * *

The sonic boom was heard and time seemed to slow, Tails could only watch as Max moved towards him, a look of madness, hate, and rage burned behind his eyes, he moved like a wave of flame and in his wake the ground blackened and was torn, his approach came faster than anyone could have imagined, and it still was not fast enough as a blue blur moved to intercept. Max and Sonic caught hands and flash burst forth, as two objects of a speed unimaginable met, blood splashed from one of Max's wounds and his voice came forth as a snarl as Sonic held off his advance. "Give me the Fox! It's over, you've won, just give me the fox SO I CAN CUT OUT HIS HEART!" Max pushed and flung Sonic to the side and continued his charge, he stood right atop the fox, but Tails revved his Tails and shot like a bolt delivering a kick to the side of Max's head, blood gushed from his mouth, as he slowly picked himself off of the ground, rasping breaths filled the air. He pointed an accusing finger at Tails swaying lightly being pushed about by the breeze as he raged. "YOU, BASTARD! YOU RUINED EVERYTHING! I MADE YOU AND I CAN DESTROY YOU WORM!"

He surged forwards again, his speed was reduced further and his lip was split and he left a trail of blood from his charge, but he met Tails again who delivered an uppercut using his Tails for added force, Max refused to fall again, stumbling backwards he was met with an onslaught at the combined assault of Sonic and Tails, he dodged left and felt the hedgehogs spines rip into his left side and was delivered another kick to the head, he collapsed onto the ground blood pooling out around him as he looked at the sky. He saw the faces of the dead, the faces he had killed, and his rage for the fox was redoubled as he unleashed a terrible roar and through himself to his feet and charged again, blood coming with every gasp for the air which he didn't need, and body shaking he was held in place again by Sonic, and Mikes voice rose as he spoke to him. "Max, look what you've done, I don't know if it was all an act, I don't know who you are but you need to stop, what will more bloodshed accomplish!" Max turned his gaze on Mike and Mike only saw the briefest flicker of recognition, then he saw the lightbulb come on behind the weary blackened eyes and Max let out a smile, teeth were missing and his own blood had turned them all red, and then it was heard, like a ripping in the sky, a bullet pierced Max's gut and he coughed more blood onto the hedgehog who had held him in place, Mike turned away a sad look on his face and a lone tear rolling down his face as he turned away from the one who had been a friend. Max let go of the grip and stumbled back a pace, placing his hands on the wounds, blood went between his fingertips and he felt numb, he looked up into all the faces around him, as he collapsed to his knees, blood continuing to drip out of him onto the hardened ground, he blinked a look of surprise on his face as he collapsed onto his back, rasping out several breaths more.

Tab had come down from her position, it had hurt her deeply to have killed Max, but the person she saw wasn't any Max she had ever known, and as she walked down she joined the circle that had formed around Max's body as they stared down at the bleeding mess, gasping for air which he could never use, and they all felt pity for the creature in front of them. Blood gurgled from his mouth and made a terrible sound but he spoke, blood dripping out of the wounds he spoke, his eyes were sad now, beaten, and showed a lifetime of loneliness and pain and yet still he spoke the words which had burned at him for centuries. "I..I'm a monster…..I…don't know where it all went so wrong." He coughed and more blood came out, Tab put a hand on his shoulder to steady him and his eyes met hers, he had hurt her he realized, he had hurt them all, the pain he had caused in this world was unimaginable, and still she tried to comfort him. "Tab…You…are too good for this world…..I'm….S..orry" His eyes met the fox, Tails, he had caused him to become a vampire, to become what he himself hated about himself, what kind of life might he have had if I had never interfered he wondered, he started to speak to the fox and after more blood had worked its way from his lungs he started.

"Tails….what I did….can not be..forgiven….I was….the" Tails held up a hand and shook his head as he replied. "I already guessed, the second Antoine told me you could see the future I guessed you had set all this in motion, and your voice, it always sounded too familiar for me, I know what you did, and…I can't forgive you for it, but I can't hate you either, because of you I found Sonic, so maybe you did do one good thing." Max let out a sigh as his eyes drifted upwards to the clouds, so white and serene, completely oblivious to all that he had done, he wished he could walk among them, he wished for forgiveness, but he knew it was a pointless dream, he had fallen too far, done too much, and caused far too much suffering, he looked at Sonic and got out some more words voice only a little louder than a whisper. "I…Damned You..to….this, do you hate me?….life can….never..be simple for one of….us" Sonic just shook his head and looked away, he felt terrible and he finally asked the question that had plagued his and indeed all of their minds since this had begun, why? The ferret let out a saddened chuckle as a tear ran down his face, they had a right to know he thought, so with his final breaths he told them a story, a story of pain and suffering, sorrow and loss.

Born to a farmer Max had been plagued daily by nightmares, horrible visions and premonitions of the death of everyone he knew, and every time he met a new person a vision would fill that night's dream and he would be alone, the death surrounded him, followed him like a pitch black cloud for the entirety of his life, his father had died when he was six and his mother at age eight, the farm had been burnt to ash and his mother with it, and the entire time he had pleaded to her not to use the stove, or his father not to go to war, but they hadn't listened. Alone at age eight he lived on the streets for a number of years until, beaten and starving he sought shelter one night in an abandoned manor and found it to be anything but, a vampire colony had found him, pinned him down and took turns draining his blood, and he had screamed the entire time until he finally passed out. Waking into a world of pain and blood he had refused, refused to join the horrible colony that had made him a monster and one night fled, sleeping in caves by day and running by night he soon hunted small animals for blood, but he was careful never to take more than he needed, and still every night the dreams tormented him, he had no one and his dreams showed only a monster, what he would become, and day in day out he had tried to fight it, until one night he had a dream. Thinking back he was uncertain, perhaps it had only been a dream, but after lifetime of visions, dreams confused him, in it he saw peace, a world of vampires who like him refused to feed, and with everyone the same, wars had at last ended, that which had taken his father was no longer present, and he saw himself in this world finally at peace, a smile on his face, and from that day forward he pursued the dream with all the vigour in him and went about turning it into reality.

In time he learned to focus his visions, just enough so that he could see events, and he believed them to be the path he needed to follow, he had ventured far and found himself in villages from time to time, and it always ended the same, they found out and ran him out shouting curses, screaming hate and trying to burn him, and every time he fled. He had tried to help, he had worked hard, donated most of his money to anyone who needed it, and spent time praying for forgiveness, but he never got an answer, and finally the event which had sent him headlong down the path had occurred. In a small village with a name which no one but him remembers he saw her, she was beautiful picking flowers in the moonlight and he knew at once he was in love, he knew from the way she walked and the laughter in her voice that he could spend his life next to her, he had been nervous and hid from view until one night she had called to him. "You watch me just about every night and never come to talk to me; a lady could become sad thinking she was not attractive enough!" Max had rushed from his spot and assured her it was not the case, and every night the two would sit in the moonlight and watch the pond which shimmered like silver, till at last she to professed love, and then it came, the fateful day he revealed his greatest secret to her, and she had been shocked at first, then flung her arms around him and kissed him all the same, his day was more joyous then any before it. Then the village eventually learned of his secret and like the dozens of times before he expected them to run him out, but when he came home from that day he found a sight worse than all others, his beloved's wife's throat slashed and the message "Vampire Whore" written on the walls in her own blood. It was a betrayal of everything he had ever cared for, of everything good in existence, and his tears that day had soaked his wooden floors straight through, he spared none of the village in his rage, he had razed it to the ground, and when he was finished nothing stood but a pile of ash and single cross where his beloved had died, he moved on, a cold black flame burning from that day on, and he had went back to his plans and followed them to the point he found himself in now, dying, bleeding neath white clouds and a clear blue sky.

Those who stood around him had tears in their own eyes, a life so hard and cruel was unimaginable, and worst of all for Tails because in it he saw so many parallels, it was a life he could have fallen into if not for Sonic, if not for Rotor and indeed all his friends, a gust of wind blew hard and a stone fell from rubble and released a thunderous crash, they all jumped at the sound and turned to its source, finding nothing they turned their eyes back and saw the ground bare save a pool of blood and trail which led off to the left, Max's body was gone. Max was limping, clutching the blood which tried to fall from him, trying to keep some inside, he was finished, he collapsed onto the ground and a final image was in his vision as he his eyes slowly drooped, his beloved stood there a smile on her face and she reached out a hand to him, Max tried to reach out, tried to seize that which he wanted most in the world, and he saw his spirit leave his body and hold her, saw the two float off together, to live a life of joy forever more, and at last Max felt it, he looked once to the clouds and slowly shut his eyes as his final thought flickered out across his mind. Yes, it is finally time to rest. The wind blew once and his fur ruffled softly in wave like pattern on the breeze.


	17. Epilouge

The end is here, It is now 100% done, sigh, I hope you liked it and hoped you had a funtime reading it, but I would still love

for you to review any part of it. But I want to give a huge shout out to everyone who kept me going by reviewing, so here comes a

big ass list of thank you'ness. Suicuneluvr, HalfWright, Than Klesh, Jakeroo 123, Casino Nights, CloakedViper, Numbuh 006,

an extra shout out to FeathersofMemory usually the first person to review each of the later chapters, Sparkie, Someone,

56th Reg. Pvt. Levinski Prower, Silvery1, DaddlerTheDalek, bluestars, sonictailsbros, and last but certainly not least Spaz411.

* * *

Thank you one and all for making this possible, also a few religous tones here, I just thoguht they fit was all. Thanks again and I hope to see you for my next story!

I dont own Sonic Sega or any characters.

* * *

So it was on that day Mobius finally achieved that which it had sought yet been deprived of for so long, peace. In the wake of Robotnik's downfall Mobotropolis finally started to rebuild, in time the streets became filled once again with the sound of laughter and shopkeepers would come and take their wares to market, and under the vigilant eye of Sally Acorn queen of Mobius, the world truly did enter into a new golden age. In the post war Mobius history would often tell an eloquent tale, in it, it said that Robotnik was finally assassinated when a small covert team of Mobians led by Sonic the hedgehog and princess Sally Acorn had launched a full assault on his base, there were two casualty's a minx who had long served in the freedom fighters, and a ferret known as Max who had only recently joined. Though a number of myths and rumors surround this event one of the most farfetched involves stories that Max had been a vampire who had slain Robotnik single handedly before attempting to convert all of Mobius into vampires, these claims would often receive scoffs and were ultimately paid no heed.

Following the battle with Max the group searched for his body in order to give it a proper burial, they were confused when they came upon another bloodstain indicating he had fallen, but again found no body, what was left behind was a single black hedgehog quill and footprints in the blood. The group was terrified of this believing Max to still be alive and continued to remain on edge until a couple of years later rumors began to circulate of a mysterious ferret who would travel the country side helping those in need. Those helped by the stranger often found themselves confused as when they would offer rewards for the good he had done he would only reply that they should pray for his soul to be salvaged, though confused they would often comply and then the stranger would depart as quickly as he came. Sightings of this stranger continued for several centuries and myths surrounding him quickly formed, until on a winter's day nearly 256 years after Robotnik's downfall, the stranger perished saving a child from a malfunctioned service robot, his final words were well recorded and though multiple autopsies were performed they never learnt the ferrets true identity, so a statue was set up to commemorate this selfless hero and on it were engraved his final words. "I have lived a life in sin, have done terrible things, and ruined lives, may I be redeemed in time of all I have done, may my conscience one day clear, and may this peace on Mobius be everlasting, goodbye and god bless."

Antoine eventually married Bunny Rabbot and once the de-roboticizer was completed went on to have a number of children, they struggled raising their family but with help from his Brother Mike they were able to manage, Mike became uncle Mike and due to his time being surrounded by kids eventually lost his phobia of crowds, though he would still take the long way around to avoid them when he could. Aunt Tab would pay the occasional visit and so would all the others, though Sonic and Tails visited rarely, and would quickly disappear afterword's.

Princess Sally became Queen Sally and she led the most successful kingdom in Mobian history, bolstered in support by her wartime actions her popularity lasted until her eventual death of old age nearly eighty years after the fall of Robotnik, but a strange myth and several conspiracy theories did follow her, the most prevalent wondering at the identity of two people in large white cloaks who were given permission by order of the high queen to always be allowed on the grounds and at no time were the guards permitted to stop and question them. The identity of these two has been long debated as possibly being Sonic and Tails the fox, though how they were still healthy enough to walk was unknown, they were the only two people present at Queen Sally's deathbed and were already well known for visiting the castle frequently, so as they left the castle that time they would return only on rare occasions to watch proceedings their and their presence was always met cordially if not a little nervously.

Tab eventually became a world renowned sharpshooter, earning trophies, metals and numerous other accolades, she would marry and have a single child who eventually grew to be the new King of Mobius, though not nearly as popular as the former queen, he was praised for his creative style and attention to the people.

Rotor was hailed as the man who finally built the de-roboticizer, though he shared credit with Tails stating it couldn't have been done without him, he would earn a number of prizes in science and eventually invent a machine capable of undoing the pollution Robotnik had caused, he was extremely wealthy and well respected when he finally died and was buried in a park he had funded to celebrate all the heroes of Mobius. The parks central feature was a large statue featuring Sonic with arm slung over Sally's shoulder and Tails smiling giving a thumbs up with Sonic, Rotor stood to one side grinning with a wrench over his shoulder as Antoine and Bunny held in an embrace facing forwards. Mike peered over their shoulders and Tab was in the back pointing towards Mike apparently laughing. The minx had her own statue surrounded by a flower garden in which she was meditating peacefully with a large rifle across her knee, some people wondered why there was no statue of Max and Rotor's reply came that he had simply forgotten, though few believed that response.

A final myth exists within the Great Forest, it states if you happen to be in just the right place at exactly the right time you might hear the sound of laughter and see either an orange or blue blur speed by, some people claim these to be the spirits of Sonic the hedgehog and Tails the fox, others that the two somehow discovered a way to never age and stranger still that they had been vampires the entire time. It is not known to the Mobius of today just which is true but what is known is that following the supposed defeat of Robotnik Sonic and Tails wandered off into the woods and were only seen when they would appear to save somebody. The descriptions people gave of their saviors were curious, as in them the two appeared exactly as they had when they were young, they wondered if perhaps they were descendants of the two but no one was exactly sure. Out in the Great Forrest laughter can be heard, as one of two brothers chases the other, but when someone shouts for help they quickly follow the sound and help before vanishing like fresh fallen snow on a summer's day leaving the one helped confused but happy to know that out in the Great Forrest Hero's still live.


End file.
